guard

Pronunciation

• IPA ^(key): /gɑ:d/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

Noun

Singular guard

Plural guards

1. (countable) A guard is a person or a group of people who watch something and try to stop anything bad from happening to it.

   After leaving the police he worked as a security guard at an airport.

   The inmate was beaten by a prison guard while other guards watched.

2. (countable) A guard is something that is a barrier between you and something dangerous.

   You push a button and a guard comes down to keep your hands out of the machine while it works.

3. (countable) A guard is a position on a basketball team who moves the ball to help their team gain points
4. (countable) A guard is an offensive position in American football who plays either side of the center.

Synonyms

• shield

• 
  A guard in front of an airplane
• 
  A man wearing a face guard
• 
  1 & 2 are guards in the offensive positions in basketball
• 
  The positions marked OG are guards in American football
• 
  An honor guard

Verb

Plain form guard

Third-person singular guards

Past tense guarded

Past participle guarded

Present participle guarding

1. (transitive) If you guard something, you watch it and try to stop anything bad from happening to it.

   The front gate was guarded by Iraqi soldiers.

Synonyms

• protect
• shield

Related words

• unguarded