Synonyms of guarding

guarding 1 of 3

adjective

as in protecting

Related Words

• protecting
• safeguarding
• shielding
• sheltering
• guarded
• defended
• secure
• protected
• sheltered
• shielded
• safe
• inviolable
• impregnable
• invulnerable
• unassailable
• snug
• unconquerable

Dissimilar Words

• dangerous
• hazardous
• risky
• unsafe
• insecure
• threatening
• perilous
• menacing
• vulnerable
• unprotected
• unguarded
• treacherous
• uncertain
• precarious
• undefended
• minatory
• parlous

guarding

2 of 3

noun

as in defense

Related Words

• defense
• protection
• safeguarding
• guardianship
• saving
• keeping
• safekeeping
• management
• salvation
• maintenance
• economy
• husbandry
• upkeep
• preservation
• conservation
• care
• conservancy
• sustentation

Dissimilar Words

• ignoring
• waste
• neglect
• destruction
• ruin
• squandering
• damage
• harm
• injury
• dereliction
• hurt

guarding

3 of 3

verb

present participle of guard

1

as in defending

to drive danger or attack away from

guard the quarterback so he doesn't get sacked

Synonyms & Similar Words

• protecting
• defending
• safeguarding
• shielding
• securing
• keeping
• fending
• warding
• fencing
• preventing
• saving
• screening
• covering
• preserving
• bulwarking
• opposing
• forfending
• conserving
• resisting
• standing up for
• averting
• withstanding
• fighting
• warring
• contending
• battling
• picketing
• walling
• buffering
• palisading

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• attacking
• assaulting
• assailing
• storming
• bombarding
• besieging
• submitting
• overrunning
• yielding
• besetting
• caving
• capitulating

2

as in blockading

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 & Similar Words

• blockading
• barricading
• locking
• closing (off)
• barring
• blocking (off)
• obstructing
• gating
• walling (off)
• fencing
• screening (off)
• hedging
• bolting
• diking
• curtaining (off)

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• opening
• reopening
• unblocking
• unbolting
• unbarring

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of guarding

Noun

The internet is obsessed with a giant dog trying to show his guarding skills against an unusual trespasser. — Rachael O'Connor, MSNBC Newsweek, 13 Nov. 2025

Painful stiffness that varies dramatically in intensity based on stress levels, sleep quality or emotional state also suggests protective guarding. — Dana Santas, CNN Money, 12 Aug. 2025

Carter’s 6-10 twin towers Jackson and junior Shaqere Kizzee clogged the middle defensively, forcing Kennedale to settle for 3-pointers or difficult jumpers against tight guarding. — Randy Jennings, Dallas Morning News, 6 Mar. 2026

Verb

Anunoby had been calling for the ball because no one was guarding him. — Tim Casey, Forbes.com, 11 June 2026

For a player who spent most of the season guarding his face as tightly as his words, Brunson let the moment show. — C.j. Holmes, New York Daily News, 14 June 2026

On the next possession, Acuff left his defender guarding air with a lightning-quick crossover but missed a jumper from the free-throw line. — Devon Henderson, New York Times, 5 July 2026

Police officers were seen by CNN guarding the cemetery entrance and more agents arrived throughout the day as work continued. — Osmary Hernández, CNN Money, 7 July 2026

Diving for loose balls, boxing out, guarding whoever Steve Kerr told him to, and occasionally making a basket. — Joseph Dycus, Mercury News, 6 July 2026

Johnson said that he was left shackled to a bed at HCMC for five days, with federal agents guarding him and preventing him from contacting his family. — Conor Wight, CBS News, 21 June 2026

With 21 islands, 12 miles of mainland shoreline, and plenty of lighthouses guarding the shores of Lake Superior, hikers, paddlers, sailors, and anglers will all enjoy the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore. — Josh Laskin, Travel + Leisure, 3 July 2026

Overnight on July 4, 2025, more than a dozen heavily armed antifa militants belonging to a Dallas-area antifa chapter ambushed Homeland Security personnel guarding the ICE holding site near Fort Worth. — Mia Cathell, The Washington Examiner, 15 June 2026