rearguard action
noun
1
: a defensive or delaying fight engaged in by a rear guard (as in covering the retreat of an army or the evacuation of a besieged garrison)
2
: an effort put forth by means of preventive or delaying measures or tactics and usually against great odds in defense of a threatened existing order or situation or in opposition to a proposed new departure
to be something of a brake, to perform a rearguard action, if you will, on inflationary trends—
D. V. Brown
D. V. Browndissipate their influence in relatively ineffective rearguard actions designed to prevent particular regulatory measures—H. R. Bowen
H. R. BowenDictionary Entries Near rearguard action
Cite this Entry
“Rearguard action.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rearguard%20action. Accessed 23 Nov. 2024.
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