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

Etymology

Origin of lifeguard

First recorded in 1640–50; life + guard

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

"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

Youssef, a 27-year-old lifeguard, was turned back from Ceuta with a group of friends.

From Barron's ● Aug. 1, 2026

Todd got his children to stay calm while a friend reached the beach and raised the alarm, at which point a lifeguard with a rescue board was already in the water and helped Issy.

From BBC ● Jul. 31, 2026

The footage shows the rookie lifeguard, just 16 years old, holding onto a limp child as massive swells repeatedly pound the duo.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 29, 2026

I fixed boardwalks and lifeguard chairs and the dock struts rotting away in the saltwater marsh.

From "Adrift" by Paul Griffin

Peacock said it was still unknown how long Pearsall had been allegedly recording the lifeguards.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 6, 2026

The locker room is accessible only to full-time personnel, seasonal lifeguards, office staff, maintenance personnel and park aides, according to prosecutors.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 6, 2026

Last weekend, lifeguards in Los Angeles County performed a record 1,950 ocean rescues -- numbers that lifeguard captain Pono Barnes called "staggering."

From Barron's ● Aug. 1, 2026

In addition lifeguards spend a large amount of time preventing people getting into trouble in the first place.

From BBC ● Jul. 31, 2026

I don’t know how to, but I know that helps lifeguards.

From "Free Lunch" by Rex Ogle