Noun rearguard has 1 sense

1. rearguard - a detachment assigned to protect the rear of a (retreating) military body
   --₁ is a kind of detachment
   

Rearguard

Noun: 1. The troops stationed at the rear of an army formation to protect it from attack.

Sample sentence: The rearguard bravely defended the army from an ambush.

2. A person or group who defends a particular cause or idea against opposition.

Sample sentence: The environmental activists acted as a rearguard against the destruction of the rainforest.

Related products: Books on Rearguard