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

• defense
• ammunition
• safeguard
• shield
• protection
• wall
• weapon

Verb

• protect
• defend
• guard
• safeguard
• 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

Napolitano referred the request to his local Zoning Advisory Committee, a group of ward residents. —Lizzie Kane, Chicago Tribune, 9 July 2025

Jim Niven, who is white, flew to Denver from Costa Rica with his two wards on July 2 to visit family and work on the girls’ custody process. —Jessica Seaman, Denver Post, 8 July 2025

Verb

The six tips include shielding seedlings inside polycarbonate tubes, which ward against strong winds and hungry critters while mimicking the cooler conditions beneath tree canopies. —Laura Mallonee, Wired News, 12 Apr. 2025

This tendency is pronounced in his book’s treatment of Sweden, which Zweig praises for taking notably fewer steps to ward against COVID early in the pandemic than its Nordic neighbors did. —Jessica Winter, New Yorker, 30 Apr. 2025

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

Rhymes for ward

• blurred
• board
• bored
• burd
• chord
• cord
• corde
• cored
• curd
• curred
• fjord
• floored

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