ward

[ wawrd ]

/ wɔrd /

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noun

a division or district of a city or town, as for administrative or political purposes.

one of the districts into which certain English and Scottish boroughs are divided.

a division, floor, or room of a hospital for a particular class or group of patients: a convalescent ward; a critical ward.

any of the separate divisions of a prison.

a political subdivision of a parish in Louisiana.

Mormon Church. one of the subdivisions of a stake, presided over by a bishop.

Fortification. an open space within or between the walls of a castle or fortified place: the castle's lower ward.

Law.

a person, especially a minor, who has been legally placed under the care of a guardian or a court.
the state of being under the care or control of a legal guardian.
guardianship over a minor or some other person legally incapable of managing his or her own affairs.

the state of being under restraining guard or in custody.

a person who is under the protection or control of another.

a movement or posture of defense, as in fencing.

a curved ridge of metal inside a lock, forming an obstacle to the passage of a key that does not have a corresponding notch.

the notch or slot in the bit of a key into which such a ridge fits.

the act of keeping guard or protective watch: watch and ward.

Archaic. a company of guards or a garrison.

verb (used with object)

to avert, repel, or turn aside (danger, harm, an attack, an assailant, etc.) (usually followed by off): to ward off a blow; to ward off evil.

to place in a ward, as of a hospital or prison.

Archaic. to protect; guard.

SYNONYMS FOR ward

1 precinct.

10 protégé.

16 parry, prevent.

See synonyms for ward on Thesaurus.com

QUIZZES

QUIZ YOURSELF ON "WAS" VS. "WERE"!

Were you ready for a quiz on this topic? Well, here it is! See how well you can differentiate between the uses of "was" vs. "were" in this quiz.

Question 1 of 7

“Was” is used for the indicative past tense of “to be,” and “were” is only used for the subjunctive past tense.

true

false

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Origin of ward

before 900; (noun) Middle English warde,Old English weard; (v.) Middle English warden,Old English weardian; cognate with Middle Dutch waerden,German warten;cf. guard

OTHER WORDS FROM ward

wardless, adjective

Words nearby ward

war cloud, war correspondent, war crime, war crimes, war cry, ward, war dance, warded, ward eight, warden, wardenry

Definition for ward (2 of 3)

Ward

[ wawrd ]

/ wɔrd /

noun

(Aaron) Montgomery, 1843–1913, U.S. merchant and mail-order retailer.

Ar·te·mas

[ahr-tuh-muhs], /ˈɑr tə məs/, 1727–1800, American general in the American Revolution.

Ar·te·mus

[ahr-tuh-muhs], /ˈɑr tə məs/, Charles Farrar Browne, 1834–67, U.S. humorist.

Barbara Baroness Jackson of Lodsworth, 1914–81, English economist and author.

Mrs. Humphry Mary Augusta Arnold, 1851–1920, English novelist, born in Tasmania.

Sir Joseph George, 1856–1930, New Zealand statesman, born in Australia: prime minister 1906–12, 1928–30.

Lester Frank, 1841–1913, U.S. sociologist.

Nathaniel "Theodore de la Guard", 1578?–1652, English clergyman, lawyer, and author in America.

a male given name.

Definition for ward (3 of 3)

-ward

a native English suffix denoting spatial or temporal direction, as specified by the initial element: toward; seaward; afterward; backward.

Also -wards.

Origin of -ward

Middle English; Old English -weard towards; cognate with German -wärts; akin to Latin vertere to turn (see verse)

usage note for -ward

Both -ward and -wards occur in such words as backward, forward, upward, and toward. The -ward form is by far the more common in edited American English writing.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021

Example sentences from the Web for ward

Two days later, Lewis was found shot to death in his ward office.
The Murder Chicago Didn’t Want to Solve|by Mick Dumke|February 25, 2021|ProPublica
Other bills from Ward include one that would establish regional authorities to help address climate change and one that would prohibit the sale of so-called ghost guns at gun shows.
Sacramento Report: What’s in Each Local Lawmaker’s Bill Package|Sara Libby and MacKenzie Elmer|February 19, 2021|Voice of San Diego
Either way, both Ward and He agree it’s worth probing deeper in the brain.
Brain’s ‘Background Noise’ May Hold Clues to Persistent Mysteries|Elizabeth Landau|February 8, 2021|Quanta Magazine
In the District, deaths were concentrated in the poorest wards, even though wealthier parts of the city have higher populations of elderly residents.
900,000 infected. Nearly 15,000 dead. How the coronavirus tore through D.C., Maryland and Virginia.|Rebecca Tan, Antonio Olivo, John D. Harden|February 5, 2021|Washington Post

Nesbitt said the city will continue to focus on residents with Zip codes in less-affluent wards when releasing new appointments later this week, when the city expects to receive 10,975 more doses.
D.C. releases early data on vaccine recipients amid push for equitable distribution|Michael Brice-Saddler, Julie Zauzmer, Lola Fadulu|February 1, 2021|Washington Post
Vicky Ward was a contributing editor to Vanity Fair for 11 years.
I Tried to Warn You About Sleazy Billionaire Jeffrey Epstein in 2003|Vicky Ward|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST
And yet as Robert Ward discovered, Marvin—for all of his larger-than-life machismo—was surprising in real life.
The Story Behind Lee Marvin’s Liberty Valance Smile|Robert Ward|January 3, 2015|DAILY BEAST
You know, Ward, I think I understand my father more every day.
The Story Behind Lee Marvin’s Liberty Valance Smile|Robert Ward|January 3, 2015|DAILY BEAST
“I would recommend ginger tea first thing in the morning as a great way to ward off an upset stomach,” says White.
5 Hangover Cures to Save You After a Few Too Many|DailyBurn|December 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Police then spent the next five months investigating Poggiali, careful not to leave her alone in the hospital ward.
Nurse Nasty Suspected of Killing 38 People in Italy|Barbie Latza Nadeau|October 15, 2014|DAILY BEAST
At the usual hour that night the employés of Stickle and Screw left work and took their several ways home ward.
The Garret and the Garden|R.M. Ballantyne
Just as the Admiral was going, Ward (of the Intelligence) crossed over with a nasty little damper.
Gallipoli Diary, Volume I|Ian Hamilton
The suggestive remarks of Mr. Ward do not appear hitherto to have attracted the attention they deserve.
The Three Days' Tournament|Jessie L. Weston
The parallel to which Mr. Ward refers is that contained in the earlier part of the Prose Lancelot.
The Three Days' Tournament|Jessie L. Weston
The tribal ward headmanʼs district deputies together constitute the police force of the whole ward.
The Philippine Islands|John Foreman

British Dictionary definitions for ward (1 of 3)

ward

/ (wɔːd) /

noun

(in many countries) a district into which a city, town, parish, or other area is divided for administration, election of representatives, etc

a room in a hospital, esp one for patients requiring similar kinds of carea maternity ward

one of the divisions of a prison

an open space enclosed within the walls of a castle

law

Also called: ward of court a person, esp a minor or one legally incapable of managing his own affairs, placed under the control or protection of a guardian or of a court
guardianship, as of a minor or legally incompetent person

the state of being under guard or in custody

a person who is under the protection or in the custody of another

a means of protection

an internal ridge or bar in a lock that prevents an incorrectly cut key from turning
a corresponding groove cut in a key

a less common word for warden 1

verb

(tr) archaic to guard or protect

Derived forms of ward

wardless, adjective

Word Origin for ward

Old English weard protector; related to Old High German wart, Old Saxon ward, Old Norse vorthr. See guard

British Dictionary definitions for ward (2 of 3)

Ward

/ (wɔːd) /

noun

Dame Barbara (Mary), Baroness Jackson. 1914–81, British economist, environmentalist, and writer. Her books include Spaceship Earth (1966)

Mrs Humphry, married name of Mary Augusta Arnold. 1851–1920, English novelist. Her novels include Robert Elsmere (1888) and The Case of Richard Meynell (1911)

Sir Joseph George. 1856–1930, New Zealand statesman; prime minister of New Zealand (1906–12; 1928–30)

British Dictionary definitions for ward (3 of 3)

-ward

suffix

(forming adjectives) indicating direction towardsa backward step; heavenward progress

(forming adverbs) a variant and the usual US and Canadian form of -wards

Word Origin for -ward

Old English -weard towards

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

Medical definitions for ward

ward

[ wôrd ]

n.

A room in a hospital usually holding six or more patients.

A division in a hospital for the care of a particular group of patients.

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