Meaning & use
off guard
Last updated
Caught unprepared or by surprise, without time to react.
See it in a sentence
The reporter's blunt question caught the senator off guard.
She was taken off guard when her friends threw a surprise party for her.
A note on using this word
Although often typed as one word, the standard written form is two words, "off guard," as in the fixed phrase "caught off guard."
Words with a similar meaning
Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.
Words with an opposite meaning
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “off guard”, then compare your use with the examples above.
Your draft stays on this page and is not sent anywhere.