cattle guard

noun

|Updated on: 24 Jul 2018

Definition of cattle guard

: a shallow ditch with rails or bars laid across that are spread far enough apart to prevent livestock from crossing but not people or vehicles

See cattle guard defined for English-language learners

Recent Examples of cattle guard from the Web

Fences separate predators from potential prey (that’s you), and cattle guards about a car-length long mark the borders between habitats.

— scott craven, azcentral, "Bearizona: Top things to do at drive-thru wildlife park in Williams," 12 July 2018
Turn right on Morgan Road, drive to the end of the pavement, cross the cattle guard and continue 80 yards to the trailhead parking on the left.

— roger naylor, azcentral, "Kid-friendly hikes around Arizona: Hit the trail with your family this summer," 28 June 2018
Lincoln's portrait was fastened to the front of the engine above the cattle guard.

— dawn mitchell, Indianapolis Star, "The epic journey of Abraham Lincoln's funeral train," 30 Apr. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'cattle guard.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.