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

After the Fed’s meeting last week, markets were caught off guard by the dramatic shift among central-bank officials toward potentially supporting higher rates this year.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 24, 2026

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

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

Had he purposely tried to catch me off guard to see what my reaction would be?

From "Warcross" by Marie Lu