1
as in defenses
means or method of defending
frequent hand washing is an oft-recommended ward against the spread of common germs
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in custodies
responsibility for the safety and well-being of someone or something
gained the ward of his cousin upon the death of her parents
Synonyms & Similar Words
as in protects
to drive danger or attack away from
vowed that he would take whatever measures were necessary to ward the nation's people
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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 wards
Daniel I. Dorfman, Chicago Tribune, 11 May 2026
When the news came that a horse had scratched, a great stir rose, and several of the groomsmen who were sitting in the stalls with their horse wards scurried to start their brisk brushing to get the pine shavings off and used their jute sacks to spit-shine the coats slick.
—Literary Hub, 30 Apr. 2026
Maternity wards in southern Democratic Republic of the Congo that are close to mining operations report significantly more birth defects than those farther away.
—Abraham Nunbogu, Fortune, 29 Apr. 2026
Those are four of Little Rock's seven wards, roughly encompassing the southern half of the city as well as its eastern section along the Arkansas River.
—Joseph Flaherty, Arkansas Online, 23 Apr. 2026
Composed of Santa Ana residents appointed by council members from their respective wards, the committee has had three seats vacant, preventing it from meeting.
—Mona Darwish, Oc Register, 20 Apr. 2026
In fact, spending an overnight in the ED rather than the wards may increase the risk of death.
—Torie Bosch, STAT, 11 Apr. 2026
Calls from voting wards just started coming in to share how turnout was going around the city.
—Hope Karnopp, jsonline.com, 8 Apr. 2026
Incumbents maintained their seats in the three other wards.
—Jenna Ebbers, Kansas City Star, 8 Apr. 2026
Noun
The council then swore in Kehr and Culbertson as the new representatives of the 2nd and 4th wards, respectively.
—Daniel I. Dorfman, Chicago Tribune, 11 May 2026
When the news came that a horse had scratched, a great stir rose, and several of the groomsmen who were sitting in the stalls with their horse wards scurried to start their brisk brushing to get the pine shavings off and used their jute sacks to spit-shine the coats slick.
—Literary Hub, 30 Apr. 2026
Maternity wards in southern Democratic Republic of the Congo that are close to mining operations report significantly more birth defects than those farther away.
—Abraham Nunbogu, Fortune, 29 Apr. 2026
Those are four of Little Rock's seven wards, roughly encompassing the southern half of the city as well as its eastern section along the Arkansas River.
—Joseph Flaherty, Arkansas Online, 23 Apr. 2026
Composed of Santa Ana residents appointed by council members from their respective wards, the committee has had three seats vacant, preventing it from meeting.
—Mona Darwish, Oc Register, 20 Apr. 2026
In fact, spending an overnight in the ED rather than the wards may increase the risk of death.
—Torie Bosch, STAT, 11 Apr. 2026
Calls from voting wards just started coming in to share how turnout was going around the city.
—Hope Karnopp, jsonline.com, 8 Apr. 2026
Incumbents maintained their seats in the three other wards.
—Jenna Ebbers, Kansas City Star, 8 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for wards
Noun
-
Meyers said protecting against the intrusions is a constant battle and as companies tighten their defenses, operatives will shift tactics.—
Amanda Gerut,
Fortune,
14 May 2026
-
Conventional missile defenses can be expensive and limited in ammunition, while laser systems can continue operating as long as the ship has sufficient electrical power.—
Prabhat Ranjan Mishra,
Interesting Engineering,
14 May 2026
Verb
-
By planning ahead and putting the right policies in place, Florida and the PSC have created a model that both protects customers and supports responsible economic growth.—
Scott Bores,
Sun Sentinel,
11 May 2026
-
The group also hopes this pending purchase protects the house from demolition, something the property owner is pushing for even though a previous request to demolish was denied last year.—
Ashley Grams,
CBS News,
11 May 2026
Noun
-
The surrogacy process has safeguards in place to ensure the safety of all parties involved.—
Ann Marie Luft,
The Orlando Sentinel,
14 May 2026
-
The report also notes that 10 Republican state attorneys general have urged the SEC to closely examine OpenAI’s disclosures ahead of a potential public offering, while Congress has separately requested information about the company’s safeguards around conflicts of interest.—
Sharon Goldman,
Fortune,
14 May 2026
Noun
-
It’s rooted in the principle of taking care of what’s provided to us — and using it thoughtfully to make people’s lives better.—
Sammy Duda,
The Orlando Sentinel,
12 May 2026
-
Emory University confirmed in a statement that its Serious Communicable Diseases Unit is overseeing the two individuals' care.—
Natalie Neysa Alund,
USA Today,
12 May 2026
Verb
-
Among them, Musselman brought in Aussie stretch big Joshua Hughes from Evansville, wing/forward Jadis Jones from Lindenwood and guards Isaac Bruns from South Dakota and Aaron Hunkin-Claytor from Hawaii.—
Ryan Kartje,
Los Angeles Times,
11 May 2026
-
Rookie guards Ta’Niya Latson, Chance Gray and Jihyun Park also made the final 12-player roster.—
John Davis,
Daily News,
9 May 2026
Noun
-
Police with riot shields used tear gas and rubber bullets on the crowd, ABC Australia reported.—
Adam England,
PEOPLE,
1 May 2026
-
Another $3 million is going toward retrofitting bus shields for bus operators.—
Talia Soglin,
Chicago Tribune,
28 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The review followed a 2022 report that highlighted the excavation of a Lenape burial site whose ownership was later returned to Native American hands, the outlet reported.—
Stepheny Price,
FOXNews.com,
12 May 2026
-
Another adjustment on set was with his daughter played by Toscano tending to follow his hands as Insolera communicated using sign language, rather than look into his eyes.—
Etan Vlessing,
HollywoodReporter,
11 May 2026
Verb
-
Continue reading … STANDING FIRM — New York Times defends controversial anti-Israel piece, 'no truth' to retraction claims.—
,
FOXNews.com,
13 May 2026
-
In the present day, the twins get fired when Racine defends her sister at work.—
Jourdain Searles,
HollywoodReporter,
13 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Wards.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wards. Accessed 16 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
