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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There are exemptions for certain groups, such as parents or guardians of children under age 14 and those with disabilities.—
ByMary Kekatos,
ABC News,
1 May 2026
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Investigators urged parents and guardians to speak with their children about any interactions with Willer and to contact law enforcement with information.—
Darrell Smith,
Sacbee.com,
1 May 2026
Noun
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Kennard, Smart fined Kennard and Smart were fined by the NBA for inappropriate conduct toward game officials, the league announced Monday, after the Lakers guards were involved in a postgame dust-up near midcourt on Sunday.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
28 Apr. 2026
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Categories covered by this author include home warranty, gutter guards, pest control, mattresses, roofing, car warranty, home insurance, car insurance, weight loss and hair loss.—
Alora Bopray,
USA Today,
28 Apr. 2026
Noun
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The midcentury abode was transferred to custodians of the McCann Trust that holds the property in 2022 and, after hitting the market April 10 for nearly $3 million, a contingent offer for its sale has already been accepted.—
Wendy Bowman,
Robb Report,
30 Apr. 2026
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Animal care specialists, groundskeepers, patrol officers, seasonals, aides, and custodians represented by Teamsters Local 727 are seeking pay increases and minimum staffing guarantees from the Chicago Zoological Society, which operates the zoo.—
Todd Feurer,
CBS News,
29 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Early record keepers captured the story of each game in 9×9 grids.—
Jacob Feldman,
Sportico.com,
24 Apr. 2026
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This is the eternal dilemma for managers who knowingly choose to use their back-up keepers in the cup.—
Beren Cross,
New York Times,
22 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
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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 3 May. 2026.
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