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

Relevance

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

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 Nurses are fainting on the wards, children are flopping onto their desks at school. — Cressida Leyshon, New Yorker, 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 That applies to organisations such as cafes, leisure centres, gyms and hairdressers, as well as public toilets, local sports clubs with at least 25 members, hospital wards, domestic violence shelters and rape-crisis shelters. — Harriet Marsden, TheWeek, 6 Aug. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for wards

Noun

With plenty to build on considering the way running back Kenneth Walker III’s presence in the backfield is creating crucial dilemmas for opposing defenses that for too long have been able to just predicate everything on stopping Mahomes.

— Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 24 Sep. 2026
The hastiness helps to explain why the administration’s defenses of the order varied so exotically.

— Aidan McLaughlin, Vanity Fair, 24 Sep. 2026

Definition of defenses

Noun

Greening-tolerant trees do need good care with frequent feedings, minor nutrient sprays and insect control to remain as disease-free as possible.

— Tom MacCubbin, The Orlando Sentinel, 19 Sep. 2026
The lack of a real-time conversation means many patients aren’t getting the type of care recommended by medical societies that prescribe GLP-1s, including discussions about weight-loss goals, past efforts and eating disorders.

— ABC News, ABC News, 19 Sep. 2026

Definition of care

Verb

The security model that protects your people is a great foundation for your security model for agents.

— Sumit Dhawan, Forbes.com, 23 Sep. 2026
French officials and many educators say secularism in public schools and other institutions protects less observant and nonreligious people from pressure while leaving everyone free to worship in private.

— ABC News, ABC News, 23 Sep. 2026

Definition of protects

Noun

Comcast said existing safeguards blocked the fraud attempt and that affected customers' credit and existing services were not impacted.

— Joshua Sidorowicz, CBS News, 21 Sep. 2026
The company said respondents were selected among internet users in Venezuela and that the survey used geographic quotas and safeguards intended to prevent duplicate responses.

— Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 21 Sep. 2026

Definition of safeguards

Verb

Anthropic closely guards its training data sources, but music publishers think the court should require more transparency.

— Ashley Belanger, ArsTechnica, 31 Aug. 2026
Liberty guards Marine Johannes and Pauline Astier are both looking forward to the opportunity to represent France during the 2026 FIBA Women’s World Cup tournament.

— Fiifi Frimpong, New York Daily News, 25 Aug. 2026

Definition of guards

Noun

Some demonstrators cursed at police officers holding riot shields, while others yelled out as passing cars honked in support of the protest.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 21 Sep. 2026
There are also three shields on the top deck, high up where everyone can stare accusatorily at whoever is brazen enough to grab one.

— Alice Burton, Vulture, 18 Sep. 2026

Definition of shields

Noun

In July, China imposed a 20% income tax on assets moved into offshore trusts since 2023, closing a longstanding loophole used by wealthy families for asset protection and succession planning.

— Anniek Bao, CNBC, 15 Sep. 2026
This was in the nineties, before real-estate investment trusts and private-equity firms had fully appreciated the cash-cow potential of housing people’s stuff, so there weren’t many similar facilities around.

— David Owen, New Yorker, 14 Sep. 2026