Merriam-Webster Logo
SINCE 1828
Menu
×

An Encyclopædia Britannica Company

Thesaurus

guard

noun

Synonyms and Antonyms of guard

1 a person or group that watches over someone or something
  • I checked in with the security guard at the gate.
Synonyms of guard

custodian, guardian, keeper, lookout, minder, picket, sentinel, sentry, warden, warder, watch, watcher, watchman
Words Related to guard

observer, patrol, spotter, surveillant, watchdog

bodyguard, convoy, defender, escort, honor guard

gatekeeper
2 a position of readiness to oppose actual or expected attack
  • Be on your guard against snakes in the swamp.
Synonyms of guard

defensive
Words Related to guard

alert, lookout, qui vive, watch
Antonyms of guard

offensive
3 a protective device (as on a weapon) to prevent accidental operation
  • I slid the guard into place over the chainsaw chain.
Synonyms of guard

safety
Words Related to guard

fail-safe

lock

defense, protection, safeguard, shield
4 means or method of defending
  • The boxer's sparring partner managed to get a blow in under his left guard.
Synonyms of guard

aegis (also egis), ammunition, armor, buckler, cover, defense, protection, safeguard, screen, security, shield, wall, ward
Words Related to guard

arm, armament, munitions, weapon, weaponry

fastness, fort, fortress, palisade, stronghold
Near Antonyms of guard

aggression, assault, attack, offense (or offence), offensive
5 one that accompanies another for protection, guidance, or as a courtesy
  • The honor guards raised their sabers as the happy couple descended the church steps.
Synonyms of guard

attendant, companion, escort, guide
Words Related to guard

chaperone (or chaperon), squire

shadow, sidekick

conductor, leader, pilot

convoy, courier, honor guard, outrider
6 someone that protects
  • a battalion of burly guards surrounding the celebrity
Synonyms of guard

custodian, defender, guardian, protection, protector
Words Related to guard

bodyguard, champion

lookout, sentinel, sentry, warden, warder, watch, watchdog, watchman

conserver, harborer, keeper, preserver, saver

guard

verb

Synonyms and Antonyms of guard

1 to drive danger or attack away from
  • Their job is to guard the quarterback so he doesn't get sacked.
Synonyms of guard

bulwark, cover, defend, fence, fend, forfend, keep, protect, safeguard, screen, secure, shield, ward
Words Related to guard

avert, prevent

oppose, resist, withstand

battle, contend, fight, war

conserve, preserve, save
Phrases Synonymous with guard

stand up for
Near Antonyms of guard

bombard, storm

beset, besiege, overrun

capitulate, cave, submit, yield
Antonyms of guard

assail, assault, attack
2 to disallow entry into (a place) by means of a physical barrier at the entry point
  • A fire-breathing dragon guarded the entrance to the castle.
Synonyms of guard

bar, barricade, block (off), blockade, close (off), wall (off)
Words Related to guard

curtain (off), screen (off)

dike, fence, gate, hedge

bolt, lock

obstruct
Near Antonyms of guard

reopen, unblock, unbolt
Antonyms of guard

open, unbar

Synonym Discussion of guard

defend, protect, shield, guard, safeguard mean to keep secure from danger or against attack. defend denotes warding off actual or threatened attack.
    • defend the country
protect implies the use of something (such as a covering) as a bar to the admission or impact of what may attack or injure.
    • a hard hat to protect your head
shield suggests protective intervention in imminent danger or actual attack.
    • shielded her eyes from the sun with her hand
guard implies protecting with vigilance and force against expected danger.
    • White House entrances are well guarded
safeguard implies taking precautionary protective measures against merely possible danger.
    • our civil liberties must be safeguarded

Learn More about guard

  1. See words that rhyme with guard Dictionary: Definition of guard Spanish Central: Translation of guard Nglish: Translation of guard for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of guard for Arabic speakers

Seen and Heard

What made you want to look up guard? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

show hide

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

WORD OF THE DAY

arrogate

play

to seize or ascribe

Get Word of the Day daily email!

TRENDING NOW

  1. embolization 'the process by which a blood vessel or organ is obstructed by a material mass'

  2. oleaginous 'marked by an offensively ingratiating manner or quality'

  3. pansexual 'sexual desire or attraction...not limited to a particular gender identity or sexual orientation'

  4. symbiote 'an organism living in symbiosis'

  5. charlatan 'faker or fraud'

SEE ALL

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Words at Play

image250923223
Noun + Verb Insult Generator

A collection of obscure put-downs

alt-5b0834b915e3f
'Judicial' v. 'Judicious': We'll Settle The Case

A judgment call

alt-5b06e60511014
'Deprived' vs. 'Depraved'

Nobody wants to be either.

alt-5b05d8545c817
'Folksonomy': Let’s Get Organized

Tag the way you want to tag.

Ask the Editors

video-ghost-words
Ghost Word

The story of an imaginary word that managed to sneak past our editors and enter the dictionary.

image1760257654
2017 Word of the Year: Behind the Scenes

How we chose 'feminism'

video-literally
Literally

How to use a word that (literally) drives some people nuts.

video-his-or-her
Is Singular 'They' a Better Choice?

The awkward case of 'his or her'

Word Games

spring-flowers
May 2018 Words of the Day Quiz

We’re already at the end of May?!

Take the quiz
image1676440788
Words Used by Nabokov Quiz

How familiar are you with Nabokov’s unfamiliar vocabulary?

Take the quiz
Spell It
Spell It

Can you spell these 10 commonly misspelled words?

Take the quiz
Syn City
Syn City

Build a city of skyscrapers—one synonym at a time.

Play the game