sentry

noun

ˈsen-trē How to pronounce sentry (audio)
Definition of sentrynext
as in guard
a person or group that watches over someone or something a sentry posted to watch for intruders

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of sentry In June, one soldier got fifty lashes, and another a hundred, for privately tapping a keg of whiskey, and in August a sentry who fell asleep got a hundred lashes in the course of four days. — Caleb Crain, New Yorker, 25 May 2026 Access to platforms was blocked off with bicycle-rack style barricades and roll-down gates as MTA police officers stood sentry, directing people to alternative transportation. — Mirna Alsharif, NBC news, 16 May 2026 But a Marine sentry was spotted outside the West Wing most of the day Saturday, usually a sign the president is at work. — James Laporta, CBS News, 5 Apr. 2026 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 See All Example Sentences for sentry
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sentry
  1. guard
  2. guardian
  3. custodian
  4. warden
  5. sentinel
  6. keeper
Noun
  • Sun-protective clothing has long had an audience with swimmers, surfers and young children donning the trusty rash guard, as well as hikers and athletes.
    — Ramishah Maruf, CNN Money, 16 Aug. 2026
  • Lamont over the past eight years has displayed visionary leadership and has adhered to Connecticut’s ‘fiscal guard rails’ rules limiting spending growth and directing surplus revenues toward reserves and pension debt.
    — Kevin McNabola, Hartford Courant, 16 Aug. 2026
Definition of guard
Noun
  • As families prepare for the first day of classes, parents and guardians are gathering school supplies, arranging carpools and figuring out how their children will get to and from school.
    — Angela Rodriguez, Sacbee.com, 17 Aug. 2026
  • The law requires that minors under 16 link their social media accounts to a legal guardian to ensure supervision.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 17 Aug. 2026
Definition of guardian
Noun
  • More from this past week • A transgender woman who works as a custodian at the University of Kansas was reported for using the wrong restroom under a new state law.
    — Matthew Kelly, Kansas City Star, 12 Aug. 2026
  • Two school custodians have been found shot dead in a Chicago elementary school, according to Chicago ABC station WLS.
    — David Brennan, ABC News, 11 Aug. 2026
Definition of custodian
Noun
  • The women tensed when the deputy warden of the Rostov jail, a curt, imperious man with a heavy-footed gait, walked in.
    — Joshua Yaffa, New Yorker, 10 Aug. 2026
  • Moses Seixas, warden of Touro Synagogue in Newport, Rhode Island, presented an address welcoming President George Washington to the city.
    — USA Today, USA Today, 4 Aug. 2026
Definition of warden
Noun
  • In the film, robotic sentinels have been constructed to kill all mutants and any humans harboring them.
    — Keith Langston, PEOPLE, 18 July 2026
  • The observatory has spent over two decades as a sort of orbital sentinel that scans the cosmos for gamma-ray bursts, ready to quickly point itself at the short-lived — but insanely powerful — space explosions at a moment's notice.
    — Tariq Malik, Space.com, 26 June 2026
Definition of sentinel
Noun
  • The 23-year-old has been lined up to be the third-choice keeper this season.
    — Chris Weatherspoon, New York Times, 18 Aug. 2026
  • Seattle keeper Andrew Thomas had the only save of the match on a shot by Müller in the 52nd minute.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 17 Aug. 2026
Definition of keeper

Browse Nearby Words

sentries
sentry
sent up
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Sentry.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sentry. Accessed 20 Aug. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on sentry

Nglish: Translation of sentry for Spanish Speakers

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