Meaning & use
guard
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Meanings
nouncountable
A person or group whose job is to watch over a place, person, or thing and keep it safe.
Grammar: Often used with the place: a security guard.
Patterns
- a guard at/on something
A guard checked everyone's badge at the gate.
Two guards stood at the museum entrance.
The prison guards changed shifts at dawn.
verbtransitive
To protect someone or something from harm, theft, or escape.
Grammar: Takes an object; guard against means to take steps to prevent.
Patterns
- guard something against something
- guard against something
Dogs guard the farm at night.
Soldiers guarded the bridge.
You should guard your passwords carefully.
nouncountable
A cover or device that protects a part of the body or a machine from injury.
Grammar: Often used in compounds: mouth guard, shin guard.
Patterns
- a guard for something
He wore a mouth guard during the match.
The guard on the saw had been removed.
A fire guard stood in front of the hearth.
nouncountablesport
A player who defends or controls the ball in basketball or a lineman in football.
Grammar: Sports position: point guard, left guard.
Patterns
- point guard
- left guard
The point guard passed to the center.
She is the best guard on the team.
The guard blocked the defender.
nouncountableBritish
A railway official who is in charge of a train.
Grammar: British usage, where Americans say conductor.
Patterns
- the guard on the train
The guard blew the whistle and the train left.
The guard checked tickets in the carriage.
Ask the guard whether the train stops here.
nounsingular
A state of being watchful and ready to defend yourself or avoid being caught out.
Grammar: Appears in set phrases: on guard, off guard.
Patterns
- on guard
- off guard
- let your guard down
Never let your guard down in a negotiation.
The question caught him off guard.
She kept her guard up around strangers.
Word forms
| plural | guards |
|---|---|
| third person singular | guards |
| past tense | guarded |
| past participle | guarded |
| -ing form | guarding |
Common combinations
- security guard
- A security guard patrols the lot.
- guard against
- Vaccines guard against disease.
- off guard
- The question caught me off guard.
- stand guard
- Soldiers stand guard at the palace.
- mouth guard
- The boxer wore a mouth guard.
- guard dog
- The guard dog barked at strangers.
Synonyms and how they differ
- sentry
- Sentry is a soldier posted at a specific spot, whereas guard is broader.
- watchman
- Watchman is an older word for a person who patrols a building.
- protect
- As a verb, protect is broader and does not suggest standing watch.
- defend
- Defend implies resisting an attack, whereas guard can be only watching.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: guard or guardian?
guard vs guardian
A guardian looks after someone, such as a child, often with legal responsibility. A guard watches over a place or thing.
Practice
The unexpected question caught the speaker off ____.
Choose one answer.
Off guard is the set phrase meaning unprepared. The other forms do not fit the idiom.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “guard”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.