sentry
Americannoun
plural
sentries-
a soldier stationed at a place to stand guard and prevent the passage of unauthorized persons, watch for fires, etc., especially a sentinel stationed at a pass, gate, opening in a defense work, or the like.
-
a member of a guard or watch.
noun
-
a soldier who guards or prevents unauthorized access to a place, keeps watch for danger, etc
-
the watch kept by a sentry
Etymology
Origin of sentry
1605–15; short for sentrinel, variant of sentinel
Explanation
A sentry is someone who stands guard or watches against some intrusion or unwelcome activity. Your dog stands sentry over your house, but he would be more effective if he barked at strangers instead of licking their hands. The noun sentry came from the French sentinelle, which has a similar meaning. It was in the 17th century that the word was first associated with someone on a watchtower as a military guard. You could only enter the dreaded ice fortress after sneaking past the sentry posted outside. Don't let his button eyes and carrot nose fool you — he's a sharp one!
Vocabulary lists containing sentry
Beowulf
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Chains
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They Called Us Enemy
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Defense-technology firm Anduril Industries says it has developed a device called Seabed Sentry that can deploy to the bottom of the ocean and stay there for months.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 9, 2026
New technologies like distributed acoustic sensing and Seabed Sentry are being developed to monitor and protect vulnerable submarine cables.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 9, 2026
The event is the PGA Tour's first of 2026, after the cancellation of The Sentry at Kapalua because of drought and water restrictions on the nearby island of Maui.
From Barron's • Jan. 18, 2026
Last month Nato announced the creation of a mission dubbed Eastern Sentry, which it said would enhance the alliance's vigilance along the entire eastern flank.
From BBC • Oct. 29, 2025
First Sentry You must not talk with them.
From Jeremiah A Drama in Nine Scenes by Zweig, Stefan
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
