guard

American  

[gahrd] / gɑrd /

verb (used with object)

• guards,
  present (3rd person singular)
• guarded,
  past participle,  past
• guarding
  present participle

1. to keep safe from harm or danger; protect; watch over.

   to guard the ruler.

   Synonyms:

   save, preserve, safeguard, shelter, shield

   Antonyms:

   attack

2. to keep under close watch in order to prevent escape, misconduct, etc..

   to guard a prisoner.

3. to keep under control or restraint as a matter of caution or prudence.

   to guard one's temper.

   Synonyms:

   watch, hold

4. to provide or equip with some safeguard or protective appliance, as to prevent loss, injury, etc.

5. Sports. to position oneself so as to obstruct or impede the movement or progress of (an opponent on offense).

   The linebacker moved to his right to guard the end going out for a pass.

6. Chess. to protect (a piece or a square) by placing a piece in a supportive or defensive position relative to it.

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verb (used without object)

• guards,
  present (3rd person singular)
• guarded,
  past participle,  past
• guarding
  present participle

1. to take precautions (usually followed byagainst ).

   to guard against errors.

2. to give protection; keep watch; be watchful.

noun

• guards
  plural

1. a person or group of persons that guards, protects, or keeps a protective or restraining watch.

   Synonyms:

   patrol, sentinel, sentry, guardsman, guardian, watchman, protector, defend

2. a person who keeps watch over prisoners or others under restraint.

3. a body of people, especially soldiers, charged with guarding a place from disturbance, theft, fire, etc.

4. a close watch, as over a prisoner or other person under restraint.

   to be kept under guard.

5. a device, appliance, or attachment that prevents injury, loss, etc.

6. something intended or serving to guard or protect; safeguard.

   insurance as a guard against disasters.

   Synonyms:

   security, aegis, protection, defense, shield, bulwark, safety

7. a posture of defense or readiness, as in fencing, boxing, or bayonet drill.

8. Football.

   1. either of the linemen stationed between a tackle and the center.

   2. the position played by this lineman.

9. Basketball. either of the players stationed in the backcourt.

10. Chess. a piece that supports or defends another.

11. Cards. a low card that is held with a high card of the same suit and that enables the holder to save the high card for a later trick.

12. British. a railroad conductor.

13. Guards, the name of certain bodies of troops in the British army.

idioms

1. on guard, vigilant; wary: Also on one's guard.

   on guard against dishonest merchants.

2. stand guard over, to watch over; protect.

   The dog stood guard over his wounded master.

3. off guard, unprepared; unwary: Also off one's guard.

   The blow from behind caught him off guard.

guard British  

/ ɡɑːd /

verb

1. to watch over or shield (a person or thing) from danger or harm; protect

2. to keep watch over (a prisoner or other potentially dangerous person or thing), as to prevent escape

3. (tr) to control

   to guard one's tongue

4. to take precautions

5. to control entrance and exit through (a gate, door, etc)

6. (tr) to provide (machinery, etc) with a device to protect the operator

7. (tr)

   1. chess cards to protect or cover (a chess man or card) with another

   2. curling bowls to protect or cover (a stone or bowl) by placing one's own stone or bowl between it and another player

8. archaic (tr) to accompany as a guard

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noun

1. a person or group who keeps a protecting, supervising, or restraining watch or control over people, such as prisoners, things, etc

2. a person or group of people, such as soldiers, who form a ceremonial escort

   guard of honour

3. the official in charge of a train

4. 1. the act or duty of protecting, restraining, or supervising

   2. ( as modifier )

      guard duty

5. another word for garda

6. a device, part, or attachment on an object, such as a weapon or machine tool, designed to protect the user against injury, as on the hilt of a sword or the trigger of a firearm

7. anything that provides or is intended to provide protection

   a guard against infection

8. 1. another name for safety chain

   2. a long neck chain often holding a chatelaine

9. See guard ring

10. sport an article of light tough material worn to protect any of various parts of the body

11. basketball

    1. the position of the two players in a team who play furthest from the basket

    2. a player in this position

12. the posture of defence or readiness in fencing, boxing, cricket, etc

13. cricket (of a batsman) to choose a position in front of the wicket to receive the bowling, esp by requesting the umpire to indicate his position relative to the stumps

14. cricket (of an umpire) to indicate such a position to a batsman

15. having one's defences down; unprepared

16. prepared to face danger, difficulties, etc

17. (of a military sentry, etc) to keep watch

18. 1. (of a sentry) to begin to keep watch

    2. (with over) to take up a protective or defensive stance (over something)

guard More Idioms  

1. see off guard; stand guard.

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Synonym Usage

See defend.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• guarder
  noun
• self-guard
  noun
• underguard
  noun
• preguard
  verb (used with object)
• guardable
  adjective
• guardless
  adjective
• guardlike
  adjective
• unguardable
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• guards
  plural

Participles

• guarding
  present
• guarded
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• guard
  simple
• guards
  simple
• have guarded
  perfect
• has guarded
  perfect
• am guarding
  progressive
• are guarding
  progressive
• is guarding
  progressive
• have been guarding
  perfect progressive
• has been guarding
  perfect progressive

Past

• guarded
  simple
• had guarded
  perfect
• was guarding
  progressive
• were guarding
  progressive
• had been guarding
  perfect progressive

Future

• will guard
  simple
• will have guarded
  perfect
• will be guarding
  progressive
• will have been guarding
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of guard

First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English garde “guardianship,” from Old French g(u)arde, noun derivative of g(u)arder (verb), from Germanic; cognate with Old English weard ( see ward)

Explanation

A person who protects something is called a guard. You might see a security guard at the mall, a crossing guard on the street outside a school, or a palace guard at Buckingham Palace. To guard something is to watch over it or keep it from danger. You should ask someone to guard your backpack when you go to the restroom at the restaurant — or take it with you. The verb guard also means to protect against unintended consequences. To guard against overeating at the party, you could have a light snack before you go, so you aren't as tempted by all the delicious snacks and desserts.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

guard guards guarded guarding

The coast guard has yet to establish the cause of the fire, but said one survivor reported hearing a "loud explosion" from the cargo hold.

From Barron's ● Sep. 10, 2026

Facing Ollie Robinson in these conditions meant that his dismissal felt like a fait accompli from the moment the opener marked his guard.

From BBC ● Sep. 9, 2026

That caught many states off guard, prompting a quick backlash.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 9, 2026

That makes any further sudden yen strengthening less likely to catch traders off guard, he said, which could be enough to avoid a major panic-driven unwind.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 8, 2026

Nor has he ever seen a great black-backed gull face to face, which keeps him on continuous guard should he find himself in close proximity with his archenemy without knowing it.

From "The Very, Very Far North" by Dan Bar-el

Inside, they were warned that security guards equipped with night-vision goggles would be watching for anyone who managed to keep a phone accessible.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 7, 2026

By that measure, the job market looks much better, historically speaking, for blue-collar workers, including those in construction and on manufacturing lines, and manual-service workers—think security guards, nurses and many restaurant and retail employees.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 7, 2026

Witnesses described chaotic and harrowing scenes, including intense smoke and broken glass, a slow response from emergency services and guards reportedly preventing them from leaving the building.

From Barron's ● Aug. 26, 2026

We gave everyone the right to refuse an interview and spoke to those who agreed far away from any guards, and without cameras.

From BBC ● Aug. 20, 2026

East German guards jumped out of the way as the train tore into the West at fifty miles per hour.

From "Fallout: Spies, Superbombs, and the Ultimate Cold War Showdown" by Steve Sheinkin

Social media giants usually keep the coding behind these algorithms -- the so-called "secret sauce" that drives traffic to their platforms -- closely guarded.

From Barron's ● Sep. 9, 2026

He tends to speak methodically and carefully — in a way that could seem guarded, but more aptly reflects a chronometric yearning for accuracy.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 7, 2026

These two countries are longtime military and strategic allies, with deeply enmeshed economies and several thousand miles of minimally guarded border.

From Salon ● Aug. 31, 2026

Itauma is more like Joshua - guarded and keeping the media at arm's length.

From BBC ● Aug. 28, 2026

Then he left her in a strongly guarded place and went to Procne with a story that Philomela had died on the journey.

From "Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes" by Edith Hamilton

What Telluride had been guarding so carefully was “You Can See Everything,” a nearly three-hour documentary about convicted Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes, co-directed by Fielder and documentary filmmaker Lance Oppenheim.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 7, 2026

A two-hour drive west of Havana, in rural Consolacion del Sur, the picture is much the same for farmer Fidel Maqueira, who spends his nights guarding his oxen against theft.

From Barron's ● Aug. 4, 2026

Much of the overtime money the department spent went instead toward preparing for unrest, monitoring protests and vigils, guarding hotels housing federal agents, and managing the public response to federal violence.

From Slate ● Jul. 27, 2026

The analysis showed that parental guarding behavior has not followed a simple evolutionary path.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 12, 2026

Annabeth had decided to take the side Hyperion was guarding, on the theory that Hyperion was more likely to sense Percy.

From "The House of Hades" by Rick Riordan

Related Words

• cover
• defend
• escort
• keep
• look after
• observe
• oversee
• patrol
• preserve
• safeguard
• secure
• shield
• supervise