Meaning & use
guard posts
Last updated
“guard posts” is a form of “guard post”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.
Meaning
nouncountable
Places where soldiers or guards stay to watch and protect an area.
Grammar: Countable noun; use 'a guard post' for one, 'guard posts' for several.
Patterns
- at a guard post
- guard posts along the border
The soldiers returned to their guard posts after the drill.
There are guard posts at every entrance to the base.
He was assigned to one of the guard posts near the gate.
Word forms
| singular | guard post |
|---|
Common combinations
- at a guard post
- The officer stood at a guard post all night.
- guard posts along the border
- They built new guard posts along the border.
- staff a guard post
- Two soldiers staff each guard post.
Synonyms and how they differ
- sentry post
- More specific; a sentry post is where a single sentry stands, while a guard post can involve a small group.
- checkpoint
- A checkpoint is a place where people or vehicles are stopped and checked, often not a permanent post.
Word family
Commonly confused: guard posts or guardpost?
guard posts vs guardpost
Sometimes written as one word, but the two-word form 'guard post' is more common and accepted.
Practice
The soldiers were ordered to return to their ______ before nightfall.
Choose one answer.
The plural 'guard posts' is needed because 'their' refers to multiple soldiers and multiple posts. 'Guard post' is singular and would not match 'their' in this context.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “guard posts”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.