sentry

[sen-tree]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR sentry ON THESAURUS.COM

noun, plural sen·tries.

a soldier stationed at a place to stand guard and prevent the passage of unauthorized persons, watch for fires, etc., especially a sentinel stationed at a pass, gate, opening in a defense work, or the like.

a member of a guard or watch.

RELATED WORDS

sentinel, guard

Nearby words

Origin of sentry

1605–15; short for sentrinel, variant of sentinel

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for sentry

We found that the Sentry safe which contained our footage had indeed been under water.
Making 'The Dog': The Amazing True Story Behind ‘Dog Day Afternoon’|Allison Berg and Frank Keraudren|August 10, 2014|DAILY BEAST
I shared the sentiments of the Fatah sentry who allowed me inside the walls of the Muqata in Ramallah.
I Traveled 6,000 Miles and a Lifetime to See the Pride Flag Fly at the U.S. Embassy in Israel|Jim Neal|June 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST
He looked up at the sentry towers dotting the campus as the bus entered Kirkland.
Should Juvenile Criminals Be Sentenced Like Adults?|Clark Merrefield|November 26, 2012|DAILY BEAST
The Sentry by Robert Crais The latest Joe Pike thrilling detective novel from New York Times bestselling author Robert Crais.
This Week's Hot Reads|The Daily Beast|January 4, 2011|DAILY BEAST

The sentry at the front gate has no mechanism to compel incoming vehicles to stop.
'Wide Open to Attack'|Jeff Stein|November 6, 2009|DAILY BEAST
Tobias had seemed impressed, and promised his answer in the morning, leaving her to sleep—with a sentry at her cabin door.
Pieces of Eight|Richard le Gallienne
I felt puzzled and angered, and rode forward to question the French sentry.
Pushed and the Return Push|George Herbert Fosdike Nichols, (AKA Quex)
I told the sentry I had been ordered to relieve him, and he handed over his musket without a word.
In the Days of Washington|William Murray Graydon
A sentry had been placed at the gate of the Seraglio to prevent anyone who did not belong to the laboratory from entering.
Byron|Richard Edgcumbe
This was explained at great length to the sentry, but made no impression on him whatever.
The Escaping Club|A. J. Evans

British Dictionary definitions for sentry

sentry

noun plural -tries

a soldier who guards or prevents unauthorized access to a place, keeps watch for danger, etc

the watch kept by a sentry

Word Origin for sentry

C17: perhaps shortened from obsolete centrinel, C16 variant of sentinel

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for sentry

sentry

1610s, originally "watchtower;" perhaps a shortened variant of sentinel, which had a variant form centrinel (1590s); or perhaps worn down from sanctuary, on notion of "shelter for a watchman." Meaning "military guard posted around a camp" is first attested 1630s. Sentry-box is from 1728.