lifeguard

American  

[lahyf-gahrd] / ˈlaɪfˌgɑrd /

noun

• lifeguards
  plural

1. an expert swimmer employed, as at a beach or pool, to protect bathers from drowning or other accidents and dangers.

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verb (used without object)

1. to work as a lifeguard.

lifeguard British  

/ ˈlaɪfˌɡɑːd /

noun

1. Also called: life-saver. a person present at a beach or pool to guard people against the risk of drowning

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• lifeguards
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of lifeguard

First recorded in 1640–50; life + guard

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Explanation

A lifeguard is a person whose job involves watching over swimmers and rescuing them if they're in trouble. You have to do more than just twirl your whistle to be a lifeguard; you'd better be a very good swimmer as well. At the beach and the pool, lifeguards wear swimsuits and carry whistles for catching the attention of rule-breakers, like kids who are dunking each other or jumping into the shallow end. Lifeguards sit perched on high chairs, ready to swim to the aid of someone who's drowning or injured. In the seventeenth century, a lifeguard was a "solider's bodyguard," and by the late 1800s the meaning changed to "watcher of bathers."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

lifeguard lifeguards

These jobs used to have the permanence of a summertime lifeguard.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 9, 2026

A lifeguard rescued her mother, who didn’t remember the incident.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 27, 2026

Another lifeguard, Aaron Bohnen, helped get them both back to shore.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 17, 2026

"It was pretty much nonstop from sunrise to sunset," said the lifeguard, sporting the red trunks made famous on the TV show "Baywatch."

From Barron's ● Aug. 1, 2026

I might find a job that paid more than being lifeguard, and I was one of two people picked, out of 150, to represent the Freedom Writers at an award banquet.

From "The Freedom Writers Diary" by The Freedom Writers

In early September, as surfers and bodyboarders rode 20-foot wave faces, lifeguards took an electric reciprocating saw to the exposed pilings.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 22, 2026

In a normal year, Hadley said, the lifeguards make about 7,500 to 8,000 rescues.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 8, 2026

Among the regular participants are active-duty firefighters, lifeguards, professional boxers, National Guard personnel, yoga teachers and locals just looking for a fun way to get their cardio in.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 3, 2026

Lifesaving Association warns prospective lifeguards that “a panicked victim, desperate for buoyant support, is a very real threat to an approaching rescuer.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 20, 2026

Mateo and I float back to the top with our hands still locked, lifeguards flanking us.

From "They Both Die at the End" by Adam Silvera

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