ward
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 their 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.
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.
Origin of ward
1Other words for ward
Other words from ward
- wardless, adjective
Other definitions for Ward (2 of 3)
(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 of New Zealand 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.
Other definitions for -ward (3 of 3)
a native English suffix denoting spatial or temporal direction, as specified by the initial element: toward; seaward; afterward; backward.
Origin of -ward
3- Also -wards.
usage note For -ward
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use ward in a sentence
She still wants indentured servants—excuse me, wards—to run the hospital for her, and she still wants power over all of them.
The Walking Dead’s Midseason Finale Shocker: A Cherished Character Meets a Grisly End | Melissa Leon | December 1, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTAssertions of dominance over the wards, Dr. Edwards, and the other officers are pretty much all she has left.
The Walking Dead’s ‘Crossed’: The Stage Is Now Set for a Bloody, Deadly Midseason Finale | Melissa Leon | November 24, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTThe likes of Coffman are “probably” already halfway wards of the state anyhow.
The children teased my parents about their budding romance and my parents, in turn, fell in love with their tiny wards.
The focus was on health care workers treating people in the isolation wards.
Yet what an angry, disgusted woman I was when I went over this road before, lawsuit-wards, so to speak.
Dorothy at Skyrie | Evelyn RaymondMany of the Royalists had fled to the hospitals, where, in the wards of infection, they shared the beds of the dead and the dying.
Madame Roland, Makers of History | John S. C. AbbottThere is to be no sovereign power, great or small, other than American, and tribal wards are to supersede dattoships.
The Philippine Islands | John ForemanAnd he said to me: This chamber, which looketh toward the south shall be for the priests that watch in the wards of the temple.
The Bible, Douay-Rheims Version | VariousIn his capacity of Indian agent Walter Lowell often had occasion to scan the business deals of his more progressive wards.
Mystery Ranch | Arthur Chapman
British Dictionary definitions for ward (1 of 3)
/ (wɔːd) /
(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 care: a 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
(tr) archaic to guard or protect
Origin of ward
1- See also ward off
Derived forms of ward
- wardless, adjective
British Dictionary definitions for Ward (2 of 3)
/ (wɔːd) /
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)
(forming adjectives) indicating direction towards: a backward step; heavenward progress
(forming adverbs) a variant and the usual US and Canadian form of -wards
Origin of -ward
3Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Browse