off guard

Idioms  

1. Also, off one's guard. Not watchful, easily surprised. It is often put as catch (or be caught) off guard, meaning “take (or be taken) by surprise.” For example, The securities analyst was caught off guard by that financial report, or With any luck the boss will be off guard when I come in late. [Late 1600s] The antonym, on guard or on one's guard, meaning “watchful or prepared, especially to defend oneself,” was first recorded in 1577. For example, In this crowd we must be on guard against pickpockets, or I'm always on my guard when I'm asked how I voted.

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

off guard

Even so, the outrage seemed to catch everyone off guard.

From Salon ● Jun. 22, 2026

But the machinery he dislikes was built in 1999, when the Fed first began signaling a hike before it moved because it didn’t want to catch markets off guard.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 19, 2026

Beyond establishing foreign citizenship, there are numerous financial hurdles that often catch aspiring renunciants off guard:

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 17, 2026

From open-mic moments to photos taking leaders off guard, the G7 summit in France provided a rare chance to see how world leaders behave behind closed doors.

From Barron's ● Jun. 17, 2026

I decided to try picturing myself in Colorado, so when Mrs. Pritchard asked me how big a mustard seed was, she caught me off guard.

From "The Seven Wonders of Sassafras Springs" by Betty G. Birney