Definition of "rear-guard" [rear-guard]

• Of or relating to a rear guard. (adjective)
• Of or relating to economic, political, or social resistance: mounting a rear-guard effort to prevent tax increases. (adjective)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "But is the software giant fighting a rear-guard action against an inevitable future?"
• "You must realize, however, that glibertarians are playing a rear-guard action at deflection."
• "Once in Bactria, he would lead a rear-guard effort to retake the empire."