noun
guard
gahd
noun
1
A person whose job is to protect a place, person, or thing.
"Two guards stood at the entrance to the museum."
"The prison guard checked every cell before lights-out."
2
A device or piece of equipment that protects part of the body or a machine from harm.
"He wore a mouth guard during the match."
3
A cautious or defensive stance, as in "on guard" or "off guard."
"The comment caught her completely off guard."
verb
1
To protect someone or something from danger or attack.
"Soldiers were posted to guard the border crossing."
"A good password helps guard your account against hackers."
How to Use Guard
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishTo protect, or a person/thing whose job is protection.
Common pairings
stand guard
catch someone off guard
guard against
security guard
Word Forms
guarded past tense, guards plural, guards singular
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Etymology
From Old French guarder, ultimately from a Germanic root meaning "to watch over" — a doublet of "garda" (as in "Garda," Ireland's police force).