national guard

noun

1

: a military establishment serving as a national constabulary and defense force

2

capitalized : a militia force recruited by each state of the U.S., equipped by the federal government, and jointly maintained subject to the call of either

Examples of national guard in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

In Acapulco on Wednesday, there was a strong presence of the national guard and police in the streets, but most visible were trucks from the national power company. —Marlene Lenthang, NBC news, 19 June 2025

And a Republican governor called in the national guard. —Nicole Fallert, USA Today, 13 June 2025

The move came over the objections of Gov. Gavin Newsom, marking the first time in decades that a state’s national guard was activated without a request from its governor, according to the Brennan Center for Justice. —Jake Offenhartz, Chicago Tribune, 8 June 2025

The seizure was necessary to ensure stable production, including for future supplies to the national guard and defence ministry, according to a letter, reviewed by Reuters, addressed to Russia’s prosecutor general from Glavprodukt’s new management. —Anna Hirtenstein and Alexander Marrow, USA Today, 18 Apr. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1792, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for national guard

• asgard
• backyard
• barnyard
• blackguard
• bombard
• brickyard
• canard
• churchyard
• coastguard
• courtyard
• debarred
• diehard

Kids Definition

national guard

noun

1

capitalized : a militia force recruited by each state, equipped by the federal government, and subject to the call of either

2

: a military force serving as a national police and defense force

national guardsman noun often capitalized