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

Meanwhile, investors caught off guard by October’s surprising Treasury rally appeared to be holding out for higher interest rates.

From MarketWatch ● Nov. 12, 2026

Bass told The Times she was initially caught off guard by the supervisors’ proposal to remove the money and funnel it into a new county homelessness department.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 8, 2026

Some tech leaders have said they were caught off guard by the backlash against data centres in the midterms.

From BBC ● Nov. 5, 2026

A lot of people were caught off guard in 2020.

From Slate ● Oct. 31, 2026

Elle paused and blinked the way Stephanie usually did when something didn’t compute or when she was caught off guard.

From "Here to Stay" by Sara Farizan

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