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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If one or both parents or guardians can't be present, additional documentation showing their consent is required.—
Eve Chen,
USA Today,
10 Apr. 2026
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The Federalist Society and its liberal cousin, the American Constitution Society, serve as guardians of the separate ecosystems in which the jurists live, socialize, and build their reputations.—
Peter S. Canellos,
The Atlantic,
10 Apr. 2026
Noun
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With both guards out in the Lakers’ last game against Dallas, James shot 12 for 22 from the field, scoring 30 points with 15 assists.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
7 Apr. 2026
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Kneepkens, never really known as a defensive stopper in her time at Utah, was emboldened and challenged to be disruptive in opposing guards’ air space with her length.—
Sabreena Merchant,
New York Times,
6 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Meanwhile, Service Employees International Union Local 99, which represents roughly 30,000 support staff, including bus drivers, custodians, cafeteria workers and special education assistants, met with the district Thursday for a mediation session.—
Teresa Liu,
Daily News,
10 Apr. 2026
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The District 130 school board is set to spend up to $150,000 on an outside custodian contract that its own custodians claim the district does not need.—
Addison Wright,
Chicago Tribune,
8 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Then the scenario shifts to a more straightforward sprint through on goal, with the alternating keepers instructed to be aggressive rushing off their line.—
Liam Twomey,
New York Times,
2 Apr. 2026
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Raised by Samburu keepers who act as surrogate parents, these elephants are nurtured back to health and prepared for life in the wild.—
Jessica Radloff,
Glamour,
1 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 12 Apr. 2026.
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