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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.

You become well-acquainted with her stiletto Louboutins and her silent, hunky blond bodyguard.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 2, 2026

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

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 19, 2026

Xolani says that his brother left South Africa on 8 July, thinking he was going to be trained as a bodyguard for MK.

From BBC • Nov. 28, 2025

Foy, who won an Emmy for her portrayal of a young Queen Elizabeth II in the hit Netflix series "The Crown", joked it felt like she became the birds' "bodyguard".

From Barron's • Oct. 13, 2025

Still, Frank liked being next to her, imagining he was her bodyguard.

From "The House of Hades" by Rick Riordan

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.