Meaning & use
sentry post
Last updated
Meaning
nouncountablemilitary
A place where a guard stands to keep watch and control who enters an area.
Grammar: Countable: you can say 'a sentry post' or 'two sentry posts'.
Patterns
- at a/the sentry post
- man a sentry post
The soldier returned to his sentry post after a short break.
They set up a sentry post at the main gate to check every visitor.
No one is allowed past the sentry post without proper identification.
Word forms
| plural | sentry posts |
|---|
Common combinations
- at one's sentry post
- The guard remained at his sentry post all night.
- man a sentry post
- Two soldiers were assigned to man the sentry post.
- abandon one's sentry post
- Leaving your sentry post without permission is a serious offense.
Synonyms and how they differ
- guard post
- A more general term that can refer to any guarded position, not only a military one.
- lookout
- Often emphasizes the act of watching rather than the physical place.
Word family
- sentry noun
- A soldier who keeps watch.
Practice
The soldier was punished for leaving his ______ without permission.
Choose one answer.
'Sentry post' is the fixed phrase for the place a guard is assigned to. 'Sentry duty' refers to the task, not the location, and 'sentry box' is a small shelter, which would not be left in the same way.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “sentry post”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.