guide
verb (used with object)
to assist (a person) to travel through, or reach a destination in, an unfamiliar area, as by accompanying or giving directions to the person.
guide
American
[gahyd]
/ gaɪd /
verb (used with object)
-
guides,
present (3rd person singular)
-
guided,
past participle, past
-
guiding
present participle
-
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.
- Antonyms:
- follow
-
to accompany (a sightseer) to show points of interest and to explain their meaning or significance.
-
to force (a person, object, or animal) to move in a certain path.
-
to supply (a person) with advice or counsel, as in practical or spiritual affairs.
-
to supervise (someone's actions or affairs) in an advisory capacity.
noun
-
guides
plural
-
a person who guides, especially one hired to guide travelers, tourists, hunters, etc.
-
a mark, tab, or the like, to catch the eye and thus provide quick reference.
- Synonyms:
- clue, key, indication, signal, sign
-
a guidebook.
-
a book, pamphlet, etc., giving information, instructions, or advice; handbook.
an investment guide.
-
a guidepost.
-
a device that regulates or directs progressive motion or action.
a sewing-machine guide.
-
a spirit believed to direct the utterances of a medium.
-
Military. a member of a group marching in formation who sets the pattern of movement or alignment for the rest.
guide
1
British
/ ɡaɪd /
verb
-
to lead the way for (a person)
-
to control the movement or course of (an animal, vehicle, etc) by physical action; steer
-
to supervise or instruct (a person)
-
(tr) to direct the affairs of (a person, company, nation, etc)
he guided the country through the war
-
(tr) to advise or influence (a person) in his standards or opinions
let truth guide you always
noun
-
-
a person, animal, or thing that guides
-
( as modifier )
a guide dog
-
-
a person, usually paid, who conducts tour expeditions, etc
-
a model or criterion, as in moral standards or accuracy
-
See guidebook
-
a book that instructs or explains the fundamentals of a subject or skill
a guide to better living
-
any device that directs the motion of a tool or machine part
-
-
a mark, sign, etc, that points the way
-
( in combination )
guidepost
-
-
spiritualism a spirit believed to influence a medium so as to direct what he utters and convey messages through him
-
-
navy a ship in a formation used as a reference for manoeuvres, esp with relation to maintaining the correct formation and disposition
-
military a soldier stationed to one side of a column or line to regulate alignment, show the way, etc
-
Guide
2
British
/ ɡaɪd /
noun
Usage
What are other ways to say guide?
To guide someone is to assist them in traveling through or in reaching a destination by accompanying them or giving them directions. How does guide compare to synonyms conduct, direct, and lead? Find out on Thesaurus.com.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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guidernoun
-
preguideverb (used with object)
-
reguideverb (used with object)
-
guidableadjective
-
guidelessadjective
-
guidingadjective
-
nonguidableadjective
-
unguidableadjective
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guidinglyadverb
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
guidesimple
-
guidessimple
-
have guidedperfect
-
has guidedperfect
-
am guidingprogressive
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are guidingprogressive
-
is guidingprogressive
-
have been guidingperfect progressive
-
has been guidingperfect progressive
Past
-
guidedsimple
-
had guidedperfect
-
was guidingprogressive
-
were guidingprogressive
-
had been guidingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of guide
First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English giden (verb), gide (noun), from Old French gui(d)er (verb), gui(d)e (noun), from Germanic; akin to wit 2 ( def. )
Explanation
A guide is someone who shows you the way. You'd be lucky to have a kind older sibling to act as your guide through middle school, giving you advice and helping you figure out the school and social scenes. A guide often leads tourists through a city, taking them to important sites, or assists a group of mountain climbers. Another kind of guide is a book of helpful instructions about what to see in a particular country, how to get along with your teenager, or the best way to grow orchids. When you guide people, you help them find their way, whether it's through the New York subway system or through the steps of building a campfire.
Vocabulary lists containing guide
TEKS ELAR Academic Vocabulary List (5th-7th grades)
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Common Five-letter Words for Wordle, List 5
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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.
See Examples For:
Two teenagers, Evi Casey and Vanessa Martino, Paul’s daughter, guide us through each episode.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2026
"Our study shows that atomic-scale steps can act as effective rails that guide superconducting vortices, and that this guiding effect can be tuned simply by changing the temperature or magnetic field," said Uchihashi.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 16, 2026
Then he heard the whir of the Ukrainian drone sent to guide him.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026
High-speed internet via Starlink satellites is used by the Ukrainian military to guide drones and communicate with the front line.
From BBC ● Oct. 15, 2026
“I went to the library at Elmers School and consulted the Burke’s guide for information.”
From "The Bletchley Riddle" by Ruta Sepetys and Steve Sheinkin
Mathias Clasen, the author of A Very Nervous Person’s Guide to Horror Movies, explains how jumpscares work, and how you can learn to love them—or at least tolerate them.
From Slate ● Oct. 8, 2026
He recently published a book on the topic titled, “How to Help Your Parents as They Age: A Financial Planner’s Guide to Caregiving.”
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 6, 2026
The restaurant, which opened last winter, is one of Boulder’s buzziest new places and has already made it into Colorado’s Michelin Guide.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 27, 2026
One can see the TV Guide thumbnails: Woody and Matthew forget to buy Valentine’s Day gifts for their wives.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 23, 2026
“The Sibley Guide to Birds. Sure it wasn’t for your birthday?”
From "Hoot" by Carl Hiaasen
“Lower capacity guides should support unit revenues but could pressure ex-fuel unit costs as fixed costs are spread across fewer seats,” they add.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 12, 2026
Slate’s three decades have seen countless beginner’s guides, staff recommendations, tabulations of game-night commercials, and “Completist” roundups of everything from Pepperidge Farm cookies to Super Bowls.
From Slate ● Oct. 7, 2026
These trained guides work with patients and healthcare teams to connect people with medical care, services, and other resources.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 6, 2026
"In psychiatry it's been a problem, and optogenetics has started to address that because we can say, 'these cells are too active' or 'not active enough,' and that guides us in a very powerful way."
From Barron's ● Oct. 6, 2026
He hesitates at first, but he gently guides my head so it’s resting on his shoulder.
From "On the Come Up" by Angie Thomas
A guided tour of the city’s cuisine reveals a multicultural, ever-changing culinary landscape.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026
Woldbye said Heathrow was working on a planning application which has planned to submit in the next couple of years, but said any decision would be guided by government's the national policy statement.
From BBC ● Oct. 14, 2026
The company that Warren Buffett guided for years didn’t stick with its tried-and-true investment strategy of purchasing value stocks.
From Barron's ● Oct. 14, 2026
All guidance was backed apart from lithium output, which is now seen at the lower end of the guided range due to the slower ramp-up at Sal de Vida in Argentina, he writes.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 14, 2026
Doc guided him into a sitting pose and they did some side stretches.
From "Boy 2.0" by Tracey Baptiste
These champions of “free thought” landed on boldness and strength as guiding stars.
From Slate ● Oct. 15, 2026
The 56-year-old has been out of management since resigning as Three Lions boss after guiding them to the final of Euro 2024, where they lost to Spain.
From BBC ● Oct. 15, 2026
Although the findings do not establish an effective Alzheimer's treatment, they offer a promising tool for guiding future laboratory studies.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 11, 2026
Lucas Lu walked by the protest, guiding two black-and-white humanoid robots.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 8, 2026
“Toss it when you done,” Redd said, guiding them through a labyrinth of shipping crates and ironworks.
From "Dactyl Hill Squad" by Daniel José Older
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