ward

[ wawrd ]

/ wɔrd /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR ward ON THESAURUS.COM

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.

Nearby words

warbler, warbling vireo, warburg, warburg, otto heinrich, warchalking, ward, ward eight, ward heeler, ward off, ward, artemas, ward, artemus

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

SYNONYMS FOR ward

1 precinct.

10 protégé.

16 parry, prevent.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR ward ON THESAURUS.COM

Related formsward·less, adjective

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-muh s] /ˈɑr tə məs/, 1727–1800, American general in the American Revolution.

Ar·te·mus

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

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

Mrs. HumphryMary 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.

NathanielTheodore 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

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. 2019

Examples from the Web for ward

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
They were sent in to help educate villagers about how to ward off the lethal virus.
The Fear That Killed Eight Ebola Workers|Abby Haglage|September 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST
In that vein, Burns and Ward stress how TR, ER, and FDR “overcame … the traumas of their childhoods” and young adult lives.
Ken Burns’s ‘Roosevelts’ Fine But Flawed|Harvey J. Kaye|September 14, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Here, Burns and Ward not only introduce us to the diverse projects and achievements of the New Deal.
Ken Burns’s ‘Roosevelts’ Fine But Flawed|Harvey J. Kaye|September 14, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Yes, Burns and Ward have produced an Intimate History that deftly weaves together the personal and the political.
Ken Burns’s ‘Roosevelts’ Fine But Flawed|Harvey J. Kaye|September 14, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Then the roof of the ward lifted about an inch, and more wind beat down, and as it beat down, so the roof lifted.
The Backwash of War|Ellen N. La Motte
He was standing over her now, and she was cowering before him, her shaking hands rising as though to ward off his eyes.
The Ward of King Canute|Ottilie A. Liljencrantz
The first prominent failure in the city took place, I think it was Ward & Co., commission merchants and private bankers.
The Adventures of a Forty-niner|Daniel Knower
If I say you must not leave here; that I will not permit my ward to work for her living?
Medoline Selwyn's Work|Mrs. J. J. Colter
They pleaded with her, on bended knees, in the village church, to ward off this dread enemy and to send them protection.
Our Little Polish Cousin|Florence E. Mendel

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

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

Word Origin and History for ward (1 of 3)

ward

Old English weard "a guarding, a watchman, a sentry," from West Germanic *wardo (cf. Old Saxon ward, Old Norse vörðr, Old High German wart). Used for administrative districts (at first in the sense of guardianship) from late 14c.; of hospital divisions from 1749. Meaning "minor under control of a guardian" is from early 15c. Ward-heeler is 1890, from heeler "loafer, one on the lookout for shady work" (1870s).

Word Origin and History for ward (1 of 3)

ward

Old English weardian "to keep guard," from Proto-Germanic *wardojan- (cf. Old Saxon wardon, Old Norse varða "to guard," Old Frisian wardia, Middle Dutch waerden "to take care of," Old High German warten "to guard, look out for, expect," German warten "to wait, wait on, nurse, tend"), from *wardo- (see ward (n.)). French garder, Italian guardare, Spanish guardar are Germanic loan-words. Meaning "to parry, to fend off" (now usually with off) is recorded from 1570s. Related: Warded; warding.

Word Origin and History for ward (2 of 3)

-ward

adverbial suffix expressing direction, Old English -weard "toward," literally "turned toward," sometimes -weardes, with genitive singular ending of neuter adjectives, from Proto-Germanic *warth (cf. Old Saxon, Old Frisian -ward, Old Norse -verðr), variant of PIE *wert- "to turn, wind," from root *wer- (3) "to turn, bend" (see versus). The original notion is of "turned toward."

Medicine 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.

ward

noun

verb (used with object)

RELATED CONTENT

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Origin of ward

Definition for ward (2 of 3)

Ward

noun

Definition for ward (3 of 3)

-ward

Origin of -ward

Usage note

Examples from the Web for ward

British Dictionary definitions for ward (1 of 3)

ward

noun

verb

Word Origin for ward

British Dictionary definitions for ward (2 of 3)

Ward

noun

British Dictionary definitions for ward (3 of 3)

-ward

suffix

Word Origin for -ward

Word Origin and History for ward (1 of 3)

ward

Word Origin and History for ward (1 of 3)

ward

Word Origin and History for ward (2 of 3)

-ward

Medicine definitions for ward

ward

n.