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 Fed, caught off guard, was forced to raise rates at a historic pace – three consecutive hikes of three-quarters of a percentage point. — David Goldman, CNN Money, 28 Oct. 2026

Brazil’s left was caught off guard when Flávio Bolsonaro bested incumbent Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva by over 2 million votes in Brazil’s first-round election. — ABC News, 25 Oct. 2026

In September, just weeks before Americans were set to vote in this year’s midterm elections, a sudden panic over the dangers posed by artificial intelligence caught the White House off guard. — Los Angeles Times, 25 Oct. 2026

That optimism seems caught Shanahan off guard, given how carefully Bosa usually assesses his own status. — Chantz Martin Outkick, FOXNews.com, 25 Oct. 2026

Rhymes for off guard

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