Meanings
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1
noun
a mounted escort who rides ahead of or beside a procession, vehicle, or body of travelers
Two outriders moved ahead of the convoy to inspect the road.
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2
noun
a person or idea operating at the edge of a group and often anticipating later developments
The essay was an outrider of the political movement that emerged a decade later.
Thesaurus
Etymology
From Middle English outridere, literally 'one who rides out,' formed from out + rider. Its duties as an advance or flanking rider led to the figurative sense of a person or idea positioned ahead of a larger movement.