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Synonyms

bodyguard

American  
[bod-ee-gahrd] / ˈbɒd iˌgɑrd /

noun

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

  2. a retinue; escort.

verb (used with or without object)

  1. to provide with or act as a bodyguard.

bodyguard British  
/ ˈbɒdɪˌɡɑːd /

noun

  1. 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

Etymology

Origin of bodyguard

First recorded in 1725–35; body + guard

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.

For the remainder of his time in Venezuela, he had a bodyguard by his side.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 19, 2026

JOP is often flanked by bodyguard Mario Rogelio, who once got his foot run over by a car while protecting the band in New York City.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 8, 2026

Azerbaijani prosecutors have alleged a disgraced former bodyguard of French President Emmanuel Macron, Alexandre Benalla, was also paid a bribe in the scheme.

From Barron's • Nov. 6, 2025

He was charged alongside his former bodyguard Adriaan Snyman, who was acquitted.

From BBC • Oct. 1, 2025

The bodyguard activated a compact digital camera and began photographing each wafer-thin page of the Book.

From "Artemis Fowl" by Eoin Colfer

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.