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  • home guard
    home guard
    noun
    a volunteer force used for meeting local emergencies when the regular armed forces are needed elsewhere.
  • Home Guard
    Home Guard
    noun
    a volunteer part-time military force recruited for the defence of the United Kingdom in World War II

home guard

American  

noun

  1. a volunteer force used for meeting local emergencies when the regular armed forces are needed elsewhere.


Home Guard British  

noun

  1. a volunteer part-time military force recruited for the defence of the United Kingdom in World War II

  2. (in various countries) a civil defence and reserve militia organization

"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

Etymology

Origin of home guard

First recorded in 1735–45

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

Her father, Jaiveer, works as a home guard, while her mother, Joginder, is a homemaker.

From BBC Jul. 26, 2026

He said two of the dead were members of the home guard, a voluntary force that helps police control civil disturbances.

From Reuters Aug. 1, 2023

The former commander of the British battalion of the International Brigade, Tom Wintringham, approached the government with plans for a home guard.

From The Guardian Oct. 22, 2020

The London Daily Telegraph credited Raymond Sackler with serving in the United Kingdom’s home guard, including as a plane spotter in World War II.

From Washington Post Jul. 21, 2017

By time I came along, most everybody in Banks County thought General Tweedy had been a high monkity-monk in the Army of the Confederacy instead of just in the home guard.

From "Cold Sassy Tree" by Olive Ann Burns

After his service with the Walmington-on-Sea Home Guard, Lavender appeared on stage - memorably with Dustin Hoffman in The Merchant of Venice and also in Sister Act: The Musical.

From BBC Feb. 5, 2024

But Widney was also tied to the Home Guard Vigilance Committee in the late 1800s.

From Los Angeles Times Dec. 7, 2023

I met him while he was paying a visit to Norwegian Home Guard troops on watch at a key oil refinery - near the country's second city, Bergen.

From BBC Nov. 18, 2022

Norway’s Home Guard, a rapid mobilization force, will also boost its presence, officials said without elaborating about the security changes.

From Washington Post Nov. 1, 2022

I’m proud to say there’s a lot less panting and wheezing than when our Home Guard unit first formed.

From "The Bletchley Riddle" by Ruta Sepetys and Steve Sheinkin

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