bodyguard

[bod-ee-gahrd]

See more synonyms for bodyguard on Thesaurus.com

noun

a person or group of persons employed to guard an individual, as a high official, from bodily harm.
a retinue; escort.

verb (used with or without object)

to provide with or act as a bodyguard.

Origin of bodyguard

First recorded in 1725–35; body + guard

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for bodyguard

Contemporary Examples

His rule over the country came to an end in 1979 when the director of the KCIA shot Park and his bodyguard to death at dinner.
Propaganda, Protest, and Poisonous Vipers: The Cinema War in Korea
Rich Goldstein
December 30, 2014
But he does it in a nice way; the bodyguard turns up with shopping.
Russia’s Gold Digger Academy
Peter Pomerantsev
November 11, 2014
But between that one devastating tweet and this poison pen, perhaps the bodyguard was on to something.
Hollande's Jilted Lover Valerie Trierweiler Tells All
Tracy McNicoll
September 3, 2014
Jazz, in particular, when he becomes a bodyguard for Louis Armstrong.
The Prodigious Roddy Doyle Is the Celtic Tiger of Irish Literature
Allen Barra
March 17, 2014
Still to come are Honeymoon in Vegas, Diner, The Bodyguard, Back to The Future, Beaches and so many more.
Is Broadway Being Destroyed by Hollywood?
Michele Willens
March 17, 2014

Historical Examples

But it was useless to think of this, with even the General suggesting a bodyguard.
The Bacillus of Beauty
Harriet Stark
"Surround her with a bodyguard, if you like," said the General.
The Bacillus of Beauty
Harriet Stark
Jerry has been my bodyguard on Sunday nights for a long time past and I am used to him.
A Tale of Two Cities
Charles Dickens
And far off in the distance could be heard the cries of his bodyguard.
The Chinese Fairy Book
Various
Behind them came 400 mounted archers forming the bodyguard of the king.
The Life of Cesare Borgia
Raphael Sabatini

British Dictionary definitions for bodyguard

bodyguard

noun

a person or group of people who escort and protect someone, esp a political figure

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for bodyguard

n.

1735, "retinue, escort," collective singular, from body + guard (n.). Attested 1861 as "a soldier of the bodyguard."

bodyguard

Origin of .css-1fxfie5{font-size:22px;}@media (max-width:768px){.css-1fxfie5{font-size:18px;margin:0 10px 10px 0;word-break:break-all;word-wrap:break-word;-webkit-hyphens:auto;-moz-hyphens:auto;-ms-hyphens:auto;hyphens:auto;line-height:22px;}}bodyguard

Examples from the Web for bodyguard

Contemporary Examples

His rule over the country came to an end in 1979 when the director of the KCIA shot Park and his bodyguard to death at dinner.

But he does it in a nice way; the bodyguard turns up with shopping.

But between that one devastating tweet and this poison pen, perhaps the bodyguard was on to something.

Jazz, in particular, when he becomes a bodyguard for Louis Armstrong.

Still to come are Honeymoon in Vegas, Diner, The Bodyguard, Back to The Future, Beaches and so many more.

Historical Examples

But it was useless to think of this, with even the General suggesting a bodyguard.

"Surround her with a bodyguard, if you like," said the General.

Jerry has been my bodyguard on Sunday nights for a long time past and I am used to him.

And far off in the distance could be heard the cries of his bodyguard.

Behind them came 400 mounted archers forming the bodyguard of the king.

bodyguard

Word Origin and History for bodyguard

n.

Origin of bodyguard