as in guardians
a person or group that watches over someone or something
a lone sentinel kept watch over the fort
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of sentinels
Precedent for this idea comes from Poland, where many cities already use freshwater mussels as living sentinels of water quality, wired with sensors that register when the animals clamp their shells shut in response to pollutants.
—
IEEE Spectrum, 31 Mar. 2026
Above the Agency house, a hundred yards away, Fort King’s sentinels scanned the area.
—Literary Hub, 23 Feb. 2026
That majestic array of green-gray gneiss sentinels may be the most conceptually elaborate Neolithic monument in Europe.
—Alex Ross, New Yorker, 24 Nov. 2025
Arizona’s iconic saguaro cactuses seem like immobile sentinels standing watch over the Sonoran desert landscape.
—John Leos, AZCentral.com, 10 Nov. 2025
The world’s lakes are considered sentinels of climate change and are warming dramatically as global temperatures rise.
—Laura Paddison, CNN Money, 6 Nov. 2025
By removing friction, letting AI handle the heavy lifting and investing in modern SAT/PST, leaders transform reluctant users into proactive sentinels.
—Eyal Benishti, Forbes.com, 19 Sep. 2025
The satellite, Space Weather Follow-On L1 (SWFO-L1), is launching just in time, as scientists warn our aging fleet of solar sentinels is reaching the end of its life.
—Daisy Dobrijevic, Space.com, 19 Sep. 2025
The sentinels of conventional wisdom settled on the view that the Iraq invasion was one of the great own goals of American foreign policy, and that its beneficiary was Iran.
—Graeme Wood, The Atlantic, 2 Sep. 2025
IEEE Spectrum, 31 Mar. 2026
Above the Agency house, a hundred yards away, Fort King’s sentinels scanned the area.
—Literary Hub, 23 Feb. 2026
That majestic array of green-gray gneiss sentinels may be the most conceptually elaborate Neolithic monument in Europe.
—Alex Ross, New Yorker, 24 Nov. 2025
Arizona’s iconic saguaro cactuses seem like immobile sentinels standing watch over the Sonoran desert landscape.
—John Leos, AZCentral.com, 10 Nov. 2025
The world’s lakes are considered sentinels of climate change and are warming dramatically as global temperatures rise.
—Laura Paddison, CNN Money, 6 Nov. 2025
By removing friction, letting AI handle the heavy lifting and investing in modern SAT/PST, leaders transform reluctant users into proactive sentinels.
—Eyal Benishti, Forbes.com, 19 Sep. 2025
The satellite, Space Weather Follow-On L1 (SWFO-L1), is launching just in time, as scientists warn our aging fleet of solar sentinels is reaching the end of its life.
—Daisy Dobrijevic, Space.com, 19 Sep. 2025
The sentinels of conventional wisdom settled on the view that the Iraq invasion was one of the great own goals of American foreign policy, and that its beneficiary was Iran.
—Graeme Wood, The Atlantic, 2 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sentinels
Noun
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Police urged parents and guardians to speak with their students about any potential interaction with Faulkner and to relay information to the Wauconda Police Department Investigations Division at (847) 865-0399.—
Clifford Ward,
Chicago Tribune,
24 Apr. 2026
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None of the minors were taken into custody as officers attempted to notify their guardians, according to police.—
Adam Thompson,
CBS News,
22 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Allen now makes and sells Safe Soss (pronounced like sauce), which include carbon filters or guards for attics and vents, fiberglass heat-resistant ember-stopping tape and a spray fire retardant that can work from a garden hose, all of which recently became available at a major hardware chain.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
21 Apr. 2026
-
The lugs and crown guards are decorated with yet more diamonds.—
Rachel Cormack,
Robb Report,
21 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Under the agreement, the Sheridan School District will re-recognize the union and add classified staff — such as custodians and paraprofessionals — to the bargaining unit.—
Jessica Seaman,
Denver Post,
25 Apr. 2026
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The news comes as Broadway production company Seaview announced the acquisition of the revival rights from the new custodians of the Tennessee Williams estate.—
Caitlin Huston,
HollywoodReporter,
21 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Buttercup and her pups are being monitored by animal keepers and veterinary staff.—
Hanna Wickes,
Miami Herald,
21 Apr. 2026
-
Buttercup and her babies are being monitored by animal keepers and veterinary staff, and the pair are sometimes taken off exhibit to limit crowd exposure.—
Hanna Wickes,
Charlotte Observer,
21 Apr. 2026
Noun
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The state wardens and other cops who knew and worked with Bob Markle weren’t just honoring his memory by attending his funeral.—
Dave Duffey,
Outdoor Life,
26 Mar. 2026
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Armas said the prison wardens never switched off the lights.—
Manuel Rueda,
NPR,
20 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
The soldiers would have stayed as sentries before and after the performance, symbolically guarding the legacy of Taiwan’s founder.—
Timothy Nerozzi,
The Washington Examiner,
13 Mar. 2026
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Police had taped off several square blocks around Sixth Street, while local police and federal authorities, including Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives agents, were at the site, according to Austin police officers serving as sentries.—
Jack Myer,
Los Angeles Times,
1 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Ideas like reparative journalism and sousveillance — an antonym for surveillance, concerning watching the watchmen in a reversal of power — earn fleeting mentions, but are never the focus of actual inquiry.—
Siddhant Adlakha,
Variety,
14 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Sentinels.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sentinels. Accessed 26 Apr. 2026.
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