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

That shift catches most finance and engineering leaders off guard, because by the time the question becomes urgent, there’s already a client waiting, a deadline attached and pressure to just get something working. — Nick Chandi, Forbes.com, 16 Sep. 2026

At the time, however, investors were caught off guard by the Fed's aggressive response, while the market today has already priced in a series of hikes, Zureick said. — Aimee Picchi, CBS News, 15 Sep. 2026

One of the cohosts was caught off guard and jokingly asked if Rodgers was dating Britney Spears. — Brianna Zigler, Entertainment Weekly, 11 Sep. 2026

Sean Mannion is bringing more pre-snap motion and play action to Philly’s offense so the Commanders, while a divisional opponent, may be a bit off guard. — Hank Gola, New York Daily News, 11 Sep. 2026

Rhymes for off guard

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