off guard

phrase

: in an unprepared or unsuspecting state

Her angry response caught me off guard.

Examples of off guard in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The Missouri State Board of Education in September declined to pursue an increase that would fully fund the state’s school funding formula, a remarkable decision that caught some schools off guard. — Jack Harvel, Kansas City Star, 12 Nov. 2026

Cousins played for Minnesota from 2018 through 2023 The trade was one of the more surprising moves amid a flurry of deals and caught Mendoza off guard. — Chantz Martin, FOXNews.com, 12 Nov. 2026

But probably no one in North Carolina was more caught off guard than the owners of Pump Social, Rachael and AJ Donner, who opened the restaurant in a former gas station in Concord just last August. — Heidi Finley, Charlotte Observer, 11 Nov. 2026

Tatum said in a podcast that he was caught off guard by the trade that sent Brown to Philly, and when that clip was posted to Instagram, Brown left a comment with a cap emoji (his way of calling Tatum a liar). — Kyle Feldscher, CNN Money, 11 Nov. 2026

Rhymes for off guard

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