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Webster 1913 Edition

Guard

Guard

,
Verb.
T.
[
imp. & p. p.
Guarded
;
p. pr. & vb. n.
Gurding
.]
[OF.
guarder
,
garder
, warder, F.
garder
, fr. OHG.
wart[GREEK]n
to be on the watch, await, G.
marten
. See
Ward
,
Verb.
&
Noun.
, and cf.
Guard
,
Noun.
]
1.
To protect from danger; to secure against surprise, attack, or injury; to keep in safety; to defend; to shelter; to shield from surprise or attack; to protect by attendance; to accompany for protection; to care for.
For Heaven still
guards
the right.
Shakespeare
2.
To keep watch over, in order to prevent escape or restrain from acts of violence, or the like.
The body of your discourse is sometime
guarded
with fragments, and the guards are but slightly basted on neither.
Shakespeare
Syn. – To defend; protect; shield; keep; watch.

Guard

(gärd)
,
Verb.
I.
To watch by way of caution or defense; to be cautious; to be in a state or position of defense or safety;
as, careful persons
guard
against mistakes
.

Guard

,
Noun.
[OF.
guarde
, F.
garde
; of German origin; cf. OHG.
wart
,
warto
, one who watches,
warta
a watching, Goth.
wardja
watchman. See
Guard
,
Verb.
T.
]
1.
One who, or that which, guards from injury, danger, exposure, or attack; defense; protection.
His greatness was no
guard
to bar heaven’s shaft.
Shakespeare
2.
A man, or body of men, stationed to protect or control a person or position; a watch; a sentinel.
The
guard
which kept the door of the king's house.
Kings xiv. 27.
3.
One who has charge of a mail coach or a railway train; a conductor.
[Eng.]
4.
Any fixture or attachment designed to protect or secure against injury, soiling, or defacement, theft or loss
; as:
(a)
That part of a sword hilt which protects the hand.
(b)
Ornamental lace or hem protecting the edge of a garment.
(c)
A chain or cord for fastening a watch to one's person or dress.
(d)
A fence or rail to prevent falling from the deck of a vessel.
(e)
An extension of the deck of a vessel beyond the hull; esp., in side-wheel steam vessels, the framework of strong timbers, which curves out on each side beyond the paddle wheel, and protects it and the shaft against collision.
(f)
A plate of metal, beneath the stock, or the lock frame, of a gun or pistol, having a loop, called a bow, to protect the trigger.
(g)
(Bookbinding)
An interleaved strip at the back, as in a scrap book, to guard against its breaking when filled.
5.
A posture of defense in fencing, and in bayonet and saber exercise.
6.
An expression or admission intended to secure against objections or censure.
They have expressed themselves with as few
guards
and restrictions as I.
Atterbury.
7.
Watch; heed; care; attention;
as, to keep
guard
.
8.
(Zool.)
The fibrous sheath which covers the phragmacone of the Belemnites.
☞
Guard
is often used adjectively or in combination; as,
guard
boat or
guard
boat;
guard
room or
guard
room;
guard
duty.
Syn. – Defense; shield; protection; safeguard; convoy; escort; care; attention; watch; heed.

Webster 1828 Edition

Guard

GUARD

,
Verb.
T.
gard. [L. verus; wahren, to keep, to last, to hold out; bewahren, to keep or preserve; bewahren, to verify, to confirm; Eng. ware, aware;]
1.
To secure against injury, loss or attack; to protect; to defend; to keep in safety. We guard a city by walls and forts. A harbor is guarded by ships, booms or batteries. Innocence should be guarded by prudence and piety. Let observation and experience guard us against temptations to vice.
2.
To secure against objections or the attacks of malevolence.
Homer has guarded every circumstance with caution.
3.
To accompany and protect; to accompany for protection; as, to guard a general on a journey; to guard the baggage of an army.
4.
To adorn with lists, laces or ornaments.
5.
To gird; to fasten by binding.

GUARD

,
Verb.
I.
To watch by way of caution or defense; to be cautions; to be in a state of defense or safety. Guard against mistakes, or against temptations.

GUARD

,
Noun.
[Eng. ward.]
1.
Defense; preservation or security against injury, loss or attack.
2.
That which secures against attack or injury; that which defends. Modesty is the guard of innocence.
3.
A man or body of men occupied in preserving a person or place from attack or injury; he or they whose business is to defend, or to prevent attack or surprise. Kings have their guards to secure their persons. Joseph was sold to Potiphar, a captain of Pharaoh's guard.
4.
A state of caution or vigilance; or the act of observing what passes in order to prevent surprise or attack; care; attention; watch; heed. Be on your guard. Temerity puts a man off his guard.
5.
That which secures against objections or censure; caution of expression.
They have expressed themselves with as few guards and restrictions as I.
6.
Part of the hilt of a sword, which protects the hand.
7.
In fencing, a posture of defense.
8.
An ornamental lace,hem or boarder.
Advanced guard,
Van guard, In military affairs, a body of troops, either horse or foot, that march before an army or division, to prevent surprise, or give notice of danger.
Rear guard, a body of troops that march in the rear of an army or division, for its protection.
Life guard, a body of select troops, whose duty is to defend the person of a prince or other officer.

Definition 2024

guard

guard

English

A guard (person protecting or watching over something)

Alternative forms

Noun

guard ‎(plural guards)

  1. A person who, or thing that, protects or watches over something.
    • 1898, Winston Churchill, chapter 2, in The Celebrity:
      Sunning himself on the board steps, I saw for the first time Mr. Farquhar Fenelon Cooke. […] A silver snaffle on a heavy leather watch guard which connected the pockets of his corduroy waistcoat, together with a huge gold stirrup in his Ascot tie, sufficiently proclaimed his tastes.
    The prison guard unlocked the door of the cell.   After completing the repairs, he replaced the sump guard.‎
  2. (military) A squad responsible for protecting something.
    The president inspected the guard of honour.‎
  3. A part of a machine which blocks access to dangerous parts.
    The motorcycle mechanic removed the damaged chain guard.‎
  4. (Australia) A panel of a car that encloses the wheel area, especially the front wheels.
    • 1996 December 24, Pendles, “Tyres rubbing on guards”, in aus.cars, Usenet:
      Another possible way is to go for a lower profile tyre (50 series). This effectively lowers the distance of the tyre wall away from the guard (not by much though and generally, the lower the profile, the wider the tyre so the tyre may stick out more as well).
    • 1999 November 23, Nathan, “Tyres rubbing on guards”, in aus.cars, Usenet:
      The reason I'm asking - Whenever I put some weight in the back of the car (say - a passenger or two) the rear tyres can sometimes hit the guards.
    • 2001 June 12, Confusement, “Position N or D”, in alt.autos, Usenet:
      I had just bought myself broken headlights, a f**ked up grill, a front guard bent into my front tyre, a leaky radiator and one *SLIGHTLY* bent chassis rail end. I turned the key on my stalled motor and she kicked over first go - if it weren't for the guard bent into the tyre, I could've driven home later if I wanted to.
  5. (basketball) A relatively short player, playing farther from the basket than a forward or center.
  6. (cricket) The position on the popping crease where a batsman makes a mark to align himself with the wicket; see take guard.
  7. (American football) Either of two offensive positions between the center and each of the offensive tackles, whose main responsibilities are to protect the quarterback, and open up "holes" through which offensive players can run.
  8. (sports) A player playing a position named guard.
  9. (rail transport) An employee, normally travelling in the last vehicle of a train, responsible for the safety of the train.
    • 1938, Xavier Herbert, Capricornia, New York: D. Appleton-Century, 1943, Chapter IX, p. 141,
      When an engineer wished to stop a swiftly moving train he had first to whistle to the guard requesting him to apply the hand-brake of the van, and then apply the hand-brake of the engine. Guards did not always hear.
  10. (computing, programming) A Boolean expression that must evaluate to true for a branch of program execution to continue.

Synonyms

  • (part of machine blocking dangerous parts): protection
  • (panel of a car enclosing a wheel): fender

Derived terms

Translations

Verb

guard ‎(third-person singular simple present guards, present participle guarding, simple past and past participle guarded)

  1. To protect from danger; to secure against surprise, attack, or injury; to keep in safety; to defend.
    • Shakespeare
      For Heaven still guards the right.
  2. To keep watch over, in order to prevent escape or restrain from acts of violence, or the like.
    Guard the prisoner.
  3. To watch by way of caution or defense; to be caution; to be in a state or position of defense or safety.
    Careful people guard against mistakes.
  4. To protect the edge of, especially with an ornamental border; hence, to face or ornament with lists, laces, etc.
    • Shakespeare
      The body of your discourse is sometime guarded with fragments, and the guards are but slightly basted on neither.
  5. To fasten by binding; to gird.
    (Can we find and add a quotation of Ben Jonson to this entry?)

Translations

Anagrams

Etymology

For verb: From early Middle French or late Old French (circa 14th cent) guarder ‎(“to keep, ward, guard, save, preserve, etc.”), from Frankish *wardōn, from Proto-Germanic *wardo-. Cognate with Old English weardian (whence English to ward). Compare French garder. See also English regard.

For noun: From Middle English garde, from early Middle French or late Old French guarde ‎(“a guardian, warden, keeper”) (whence modern French garde), from the verb guarder.

Pronunciation

  • (UK) IPA(key): /ɡɑːd/
  • (US) IPA(key): /ɡɑɹd/
  • Rhymes: -ɑː(r)d

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