The general placed an armed sentry at the bridge.
a sentry posted to watch for intruders
Recent Examples on the WebAnd yet, its 45-foot stark white letters have loomed over Los Angeles for about that long, since before movies were talkies, their century-long sentry one of the few constants in a place roiling with change.—Reis Thebault, Washington Post, 2 Nov. 2023 Look for them tucked along island streets—the corners of which are attended by the crowing rooster sentries that amble around the place—or hidden behind thick tapestries of tropical trees decked with vibrant blooms drooping in the humid air.—Caroline Rogers, Southern Living, 30 June 2023 Even with the battery removed, there’s a backup battery in the P1 to power its sentry mode, which will alert you if someone tries to steal or tamper with the vehicle.—Julian Chokkattu, WIRED, 12 Oct. 2023 Next, glide through a conspicuously undisturbed dining room, where Jeanneret chairs are lined up like sentries on either side of a long table, step out into the backyard and head left, past the generous pool, into one of the secondary structures on the property.—Jon Caramanica, New York Times, 12 Sep. 2023 Local guides are quick with all the stats: The 12-foot-high Wall had a 16-foot anti-tank ditch, a no-man’s land that was 30 to 160 feet wide, and 300 sentry towers.—Rick Steves, Chicago Tribune, 8 Aug. 2023 And behind it, a grid reaching almost to the top of the niche is forestalling a tall broad sentry, blood-red in color — an implicit reference to violence.—Roberta Smith, New York Times, 14 Sep. 2023 Even acting as a remote sentry if there's stuff going on outside the house.—Tom Krisher, Detroit Free Press, 5 July 2023 This barrier is guarded ferociously day and night, with truly deadly sentries who are indifferent to human life.—Michael Brendan Dougherty, National Review, 14 Apr. 2023 See More
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'sentry.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Etymology
perhaps from obsolete sentry sanctuary, watchtower
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