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guide

[gahyd]
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verb (used with object), guid·ed, guid·ing.
  1. to assist (a person) to travel through, or reach a destination in, an unfamiliar area, as by accompanying or giving directions to the person: He guided us through the forest.
  2. to accompany (a sightseer) to show points of interest and to explain their meaning or significance.
  3. to force (a person, object, or animal) to move in a certain path.
  4. to supply (a person) with advice or counsel, as in practical or spiritual affairs.
  5. to supervise (someone's actions or affairs) in an advisory capacity.
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noun
  1. a person who guides, especially one hired to guide travelers, tourists, hunters, etc.
  2. a mark, tab, or the like, to catch the eye and thus provide quick reference.
  3. a guidebook.
  4. a book, pamphlet, etc., giving information, instructions, or advice; handbook: an investment guide.
  5. a guidepost.
  6. a device that regulates or directs progressive motion or action: a sewing-machine guide.
  7. a spirit believed to direct the utterances of a medium.
  8. Military. a member of a group marching in formation who sets the pattern of movement or alignment for the rest.
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Origin of guide

1325–75; Middle English giden (v.), gide (noun) < Old French gui(d)er (v.), gui(d)e (noun) < Germanic; akin to wit2
Related formsguid·a·ble, adjectiveguide·less, adjectiveguid·er, nounguid·ing·ly, adverbnon·guid·a·ble, adjectivepre·guide, verb (used with object), pre·guid·ed, pre·guid·ing.re·guide, verb (used with object), re·guid·ed, re·guid·ing.un·guid·a·ble, adjective

Synonyms

See more synonyms for guide on Thesaurus.com
1. pilot, steer, escort. 5. regulate, manage, govern, rule. 6. pilot, director, conductor. 7. sign, signal, indication, key, clue.

Synonym study

1. Guide, conduct, direct, lead imply showing the way or pointing out or determining the course to be taken. Guide implies continuous presence or agency in showing or indicating a course: to guide a traveler. To conduct is to precede or escort to a place, sometimes with a degree of ceremony: to conduct a guest to his room. To direct is to give information for guidance, or instructions or orders for a course of procedure: to direct someone to the station. To lead is to bring onward in a course, guiding by contact or by going in advance; hence, fig., to influence or induce to some course of conduct: to lead a procession; to lead astray.

Antonyms

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

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British Dictionary definitions for guide

guide

verb
  1. to lead the way for (a person)
  2. to control the movement or course of (an animal, vehicle, etc) by physical action; steer
  3. to supervise or instruct (a person)
  4. (tr) to direct the affairs of (a person, company, nation, etc)he guided the country through the war
  5. (tr) to advise or influence (a person) in his standards or opinionslet truth guide you always
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noun
    1. a person, animal, or thing that guides
    2. (as modifier)a guide dog
  2. a person, usually paid, who conducts tour expeditions, etc
  3. a model or criterion, as in moral standards or accuracy
  4. See guidebook
  5. a book that instructs or explains the fundamentals of a subject or skilla guide to better living
  6. any device that directs the motion of a tool or machine part
    1. a mark, sign, etc, that points the way
    2. (in combination)guidepost
  8. spiritualism a spirit believed to influence a medium so as to direct what he utters and convey messages through him
    1. navya ship in a formation used as a reference for manoeuvres, esp with relation to maintaining the correct formation and disposition
    2. militarya soldier stationed to one side of a column or line to regulate alignment, show the way, etc
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Derived Formsguidable, adjectiveguideless, adjectiveguider, nounguiding, adjective, noun

Word Origin

C14: from (Old) French guider, of Germanic origin; compare Old English wītan to observe

Guide

noun
  1. (sometimes not capital) a member of an organization for girls equivalent to the ScoutsUS equivalent: Girl Scout
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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 guide

v.

late 14c., "to lead, direct, conduct," from Old French guider "to guide, lead, conduct" (14c.), earlier guier, from Frankish *witan "show the way" or a similar Germanic source, from Proto-Germanic *wit- "to know" (cf. German weisen "to show, point out," Old English witan "to see"), from PIE *weid- "to see" (see vision). The form of the French word influenced by Old Provençal guidar (n.) "guide, leader," or Italian guidare, both from the same source. Related: Guided; guiding.

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n.

mid-14c., "one who shows the way," from Old French guide, 14c. (alteration of earlier guie), verbal noun from guider (see guide (v.)). In book titles from 1610s; meaning "book of information on local sites" is from 1759. In 18c. France, a "for Dummies" or "Idiot's Guide to" book would have been a guid' âne, literally "guide-ass."

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
guide in Medicine

guide

(gīd)
n.
  1. A device or instrument by which something is led into its proper course, such as a grooved director or a catheter guide.
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The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.