WARDS Synonyms: 73 Similar and Opposite Words

wards 1 of 2

noun

plural of ward

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

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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

wards

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of ward

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

Noun

Yet, with every day that passes, the war outside grows more deadly, the kingdom’s protective wards are failing, and the death toll continues to rise. — Lexy Perez, HollywoodReporter, 15 Oct. 2026 Moreau made a tool to measure the depth and heights of the wards, to make a replica of what the original key probably looked like. — Shayla Love, New Yorker, 10 Oct. 2026 In response to Stewart’s presentation, several alderpersons expressed their appreciation of local law enforcement and the work done to facilitate emergency response efforts across all nine wards. — Claire Murphy, Chicago Tribune, 19 Sep. 2026 In wards 6 and 7, Dave Tamayo and Heidi Sanborn, respectively, are running unopposed. — Don Sweeney, Sacbee.com, 16 Sep. 2026 In participatory budgeting, several wards, as well as the Chicago Park District, set aside portions of discretionary funds for projects endorsed by residents. — Adam Harrington, CBS News, 8 Sep. 2026 Scenes with the ward’s young women are where the film truly excels, undeniably a result of Khan and Le Querec’s months-long immersion inside real-life psychiatric wards. — Miriam Balanescu, IndieWire, 4 Sep. 2026 That has changed quietly, with robots now performing important roles in operating rooms, hospital wards, rehabilitation centers, and corridors around the world. — Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 30 Aug. 2026 And more than 500 hospitals closed maternity wards between 2010 and 2022, according to a study published in the medical research journal JAMA. — Kristin Wright, NPR, 11 Aug. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for wards

Noun

The spa There are treatment rooms for a variety of massages, facials, and indulgences based on Wei Qi, a concept rooted in traditional Chinese medicine that boosts the body’s defenses.

— Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 22 Oct. 2026
Ukraine’s defenses have been hobbled in recent days by unexplained failures of the Starlink and Starshield satellite systems that are a crucial tool to protect civilians from incoming Russian missiles and drone attacks.

— Dave Goldiner, New York Daily News, 22 Oct. 2026

Definition of defenses

Noun

Those figures largely predate the state’s move to universal free child care, which began in November 2025 and is funded by an oil and gas windfall.

— Martie Bowser, Fortune, 24 Oct. 2026
In a bucket hat and without a care in the world, Murray speaks kindly but candidly about making his buddy Coyne’s TV dream come true.

— Tony Maglio, HollywoodReporter, 24 Oct. 2026

Definition of care

Noun

Some said such an outcome is likely if the industry fails to impose adequate safeguards, while others characterized it as vague and far-fetched.

— ABC News, ABC News, 20 Oct. 2026
When delivery pressure conflicts with material customer or operational risk, security should explain the failure scenario, identify necessary safeguards and help departments choose a practical path forward.

— Manny Khan, Forbes.com, 20 Oct. 2026

Definition of safeguards

Noun

The video shows four deputies running after Garza along Interstate 10 in Palm Springs, with Garza facing the deputies several times while holding an object in his hands.

— Richard Winton, Los Angeles Times, 24 Oct. 2026
Alaska’s bid for statehood, in the late nineteen-fifties, was in part a matter of keeping the hands of Seattle businessmen off local salmon stocks.

— Zach Helfand, New Yorker, 23 Oct. 2026

Definition of hands

Verb

Along with Adebayo, guards Pelle Larsson (illness) and Dru Smith (right calf strain) weren’t available for the Heat on Wednesday.

— Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 15 Oct. 2026
The router comes with Advanced Router Protection, which guards your router, and a 30-day trial for Netgear Armor Security.

— George Yang, PC Magazine, 9 Oct. 2026

Definition of guards

Noun

Dozens of armored cops were still standing guard, shields raised, after a night when 500 people were taken into custody in the French capital alone.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 20 Oct. 2026
Swarms of police officers descended from helicopters and beat them with billy clubs and metal shields.

— E. Tammy Kim, New Yorker, 12 Oct. 2026