ward

1 of 4

noun

ˈwȯrd 

1

a

: the action or process of guarding

b

: a body of guards

c(1)

: a division in a hospital

a maternity ward

(2)

: a large room in a hospital where a number of patients often requiring similar treatment are accommodated

Wallace Thurman died in 1934 in the tuberculosis ward of the New York City charity hospital on Welfare Island.

—Zeese Papanikolas

2

: the state of being under guard

especially : custody

3

a

: the inner court of a castle or fortress

b

: a division (such as a cell or block) of a prison

4

a

: a division of a city for representative, electoral, or administrative purposes

b

: a division of some English and Scottish counties corresponding to a hundred

c

: the Mormon local congregation having auxiliary organizations (such as Sunday schools and relief societies) and one or more quorums of each office of the Aaronic priesthood

5

: a projecting ridge of metal in a lock casing or keyhole permitting only the insertion of a key with a corresponding notch

also : a corresponding notch in a bit of a key

6

: a person or thing under guard, protection, or surveillance: such as

a

: a minor subject to wardship

b

: a person who by reason of incapacity (such as minority or mental illness) is under the protection of a court either directly or through a guardian appointed by the court

called also ward of court

c

: a person or body of persons under the protection or tutelage of a government

7

: a means of defense : protection

ward

2 of 4

verb

warded; warding; wards

transitive verb

1

: to keep watch over : guard

2

: to turn aside (something threatening) : deflect

—usually used with off

ward off a blow

trying to ward off a cold

-ward

3 of 4

adjective suffix

variants or less commonly -wards

1

: that moves, tends, faces, or is directed toward

riverward

2

: that occurs or is situated in the direction of

leftward

-ward

4 of 4

adverb suffix

variants or -wards

1

: in a (specified) spatial or temporal direction

upward

afterward

2

: toward a (specified) point, position, or area

earthward

Synonyms

Noun

• aegis
• egis
• ammunition
• armor
• buckler
• cover
• defense
• guard
• protection
• safeguard
• screen
• security
• shield
• wall

Verb

• bulwark
• cover
• defend
• fence
• fend
• forfend
• guard
• keep
• protect
• safeguard
• screen
• secure
• shield

Examples of ward in a Sentence

Noun

She works in the cancer ward.

the council representative from Ward 22

They were wards of the state.

Verb

vowed that he would take whatever measures were necessary to ward the nation's people

Adjective suffix

a rearward movement of troops

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Monique Scott, 24th, noted four mass shootings in her North Lawndale ward in her two years as alderman. —David Greising, Chicago Tribune, 24 May 2024

The law confirmed that all Native Americans were U.S. citizens at birth, while reinforcing their dependency on reservation lands as wards of the federal government. —Matthew Smith, The Conversation, 21 May 2024

Investigators later found out the 15-year-old girl is a ward of the state of Missouri who had been reported missing. —Jake Allen, The Indianapolis Star, 21 May 2024

This is because the measure of success under Housing First is not independent self-sufficiency, but in homeless persons becoming de facto wards of the state. —Christopher Calton, Orange County Register, 17 May 2024

While at the hospital, Harry toured the wards and met young men recovering from various injuries, including gunshot wounds, ambushes by Boko Haram and limb loss due to blasts. —Janine Henni, Peoplemag, 15 May 2024

The commission sent the wrong absentee ballots to 237 Milwaukee voters across four voting wards. —Hope Karnopp, Journal Sentinel, 6 May 2024

Some ended up in the hands of other oil companies, although those, too, appear to be on the verge of becoming wards of the state. —Mark Olalde, ProPublica, 6 May 2024

Turnout has decreased in Milwaukee’s wards where a majority of voters are Black. —Hope Karnopp and Matthew Crowley, Journal Sentinel, 15 May 2024

Verb

As my colleagues reported, the Biden administration and European allies are working on a longer-term, multilateral plan aimed at warding against this scenario and future-proofing support for Ukraine. —Ishaan Tharoor, Washington Post, 29 Jan. 2024

Pieces of fence, strips of caution tape and trash cans ward the curious — and even the mail carrier — away. —Lyndsay Winkley, San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 Jan. 2024

One of Amazon’s steepest discounts, the Safavieh Dallas Shag Collection Area Rug is also on sale for 86 percent off, and its plush carpeting is great to ward against cold feet this winter. —Gabriela Izquierdo, Southern Living, 24 Nov. 2023

The fire starter utilizes a magnesium rod inside the clip to create sparks while the whistle can make up to 100 decibels of noise, warding potential animal threats and alerting others to your presence. —Tom Price, Popular Mechanics, 30 Aug. 2023

Dozens of people were on the bridge watching a traditional wedding ceremony intended to ward of disasters when the bridge fell. —Chris Pandolfo, Fox News, 18 Aug. 2023

But pumpkins are good for much more than warding away evil spirits (when carved) or acting as a delivery system for nutmeg, cinnamon, ginger and cloves (when pureed for pie). —Stephen C. George, Discover Magazine, 10 Oct. 2023

Any repellent with less than 10 percent DEET will ward away bugs for one to two hours, while 20 percent DEET will repel for two to five hours. —Kevin Cortez, Popular Mechanics, 27 June 2023

Meanwhile, taking on the appearance of a bee or wasp is a great visual bluff to ward away the fly’s predators. —Stephen C. George, Discover Magazine, 8 May 2023

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English, from Old English weard & Anglo-French warde, garde, of Germanic origin; akin to Old High German warta act of watching, Old English warian to beware of, guard, wær careful — more at guard, wary

Verb

Middle English, from Old English weardian & Anglo-French warder, garder, of Germanic origin; akin to Old High German wartēn to watch, Old Norse vartha to guard, Old English weard ward

Adjective suffix

-ward from Middle English, from Old English -weard; akin to Old High German -wart, -wert -ward, Latin vertere to turn; -wards from -wards, adverb suffix — more at worth

Adverb suffix

-ward from Middle English, from Old English -weard, from -weard, adjective suffix; -wards from Middle English, from Old English -weardes, genitive singular neuter of -weard, adjective suffix

First Known Use

Noun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing ward

• ward heeler
• ward off
• watch and ward

Kids Definition

ward

1 of 4 noun

ˈwȯ(ə)rd 

1

: the action or process of guarding or of being under guard

especially : custody sense 1

2

a

: a division in a hospital

especially : a large room in a hospital where a number of patients stay

b

: a division (as a cell or block) of a prison

3

: an electoral or administrative division of a city

4

: a person (as a child) under the protection of a court or guardian

ward

2 of 4 verb

1

: to keep watch over : guard

2

: to turn aside : deflect

—usually used with off

ward off a cold

-ward

3 of 4 adjective suffix

wərd

variants also -wards

wərdz

1

: that moves, tends, faces, or is directed toward

windward

2

: that occurs or is located in the direction of

rearward

-ward

4 of 4 adverb suffix

variants or -wards

1

: in a (specified) direction

rearwards

afterward

2

: toward a (specified) point, position, or area

skyward

Etymology

Adjective suffix

Old English -weard (adjective suffix) "being or moving in the direction of"

Medical Definition

ward

noun

ˈwȯ(ə)rd 

: a division in a hospital

a maternity ward

especially : a large room in a hospital where a number of patients often requiring similar treatment are accommodated

a tuberculosis ward

Legal Definition

ward

noun

ˈwȯrd 

1

: a division of a city for representative, electoral, or administrative purposes

2

a

: a person who by reason of incapacity (as minority or incompetency) is under the control of a guardian

b

: a person who by reason of incapacity is under the protection of a court either directly or through a guardian appointed by the court

called also ward of the court

compare interdict

wardship noun

Biographical Definition

Ward 1 of 6

biographical name (1)

ˈwȯrd 

(Aaron) Montgomery 1843–1913 American merchant

Ward

2 of 6

biographical name (2)

Ar*te*mas ˈär-tə-məs  1727–1800 American general in Revolution

Ward

3 of 6

biographical name (3)

Artemus see Charles Farrar browne

Ward

4 of 6

biographical name (4)

Barbara 1914–1981 Baroness Jackson of Lodsworth English economist

Ward

5 of 6

biographical name (5)

Sir Joseph George 1856–1930 New Zealand statesman

Ward

6 of 6

biographical name (6)

Mary Augusta 1851–1920 Mrs. Humphry Ward née Arnold English novelist