guard (ɡɑːd) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) |
| |
| —vb (usually foll by against) |
| 1. | to watch over or shield (a person or thing) from danger or harm; protect |
| 2. | to keep watch over (a prisoner or other potentially dangerous person or thing), as to prevent escape |
| 3. | (tr) to control: to guard one's tongue |
| 4. | to take precautions |
| 5. | to control entrance and exit through (a gate, door, etc) |
| 6. | (tr) to provide (machinery, etc) with a device to protect the operator |
| 7. | (tr) |
| | a. chess, cards to protect or cover (a chess man or card) with another |
| | b. curling, bowls to protect or cover (a stone or bowl) by placing one's own stone or bowl between it and another player |
| 8. | archaic (tr) to accompany as a guard |
| |
| —n |
| 9. | a person or group who keeps a protecting, supervising, or restraining watch or control over people, such as prisoners, things, etcRelated: custodial |
| 10. | a person or group of people, such as soldiers, who form a ceremonial escort: guard of honour |
| 11. | (Brit) the official in charge of a train |
| 12. | a. the act or duty of protecting, restraining, or supervising |
| | b. (as modifier): guard duty |
| 13. | (Irish) another word for garda |
| 14. | a device, part, or attachment on an object, such as a weapon or machine tool, designed to protect the user against injury, as on the hilt of a sword or the trigger of a firearm |
| 15. | anything that provides or is intended to provide protection: a guard against infection |
| 16. | a. another name for safety chain |
| | b. a long neck chain often holding a chatelaine |
| 17. | See guard ring |
| 18. | sport an article of light tough material worn to protect any of various parts of the body |
| 19. | basketball |
| | a. the position of the two players in a team who play furthest from the basket |
| | b. a player in this position |
| 20. | the posture of defence or readiness in fencing, boxing, cricket, etc |
| 21. | cricket take guard (of a batsman) to choose a position in front of the wicket to receive the bowling, esp by requesting the umpire to indicate his position relative to the stumps |
| 22. | cricket give guard (of an umpire) to indicate such a position to a batsman |
| 23. | off one's guard having one's defences down; unprepared |
| 24. | on one's guard prepared to face danger, difficulties, etc |
| 25. | stand guard (of a military sentry, etc) to keep watch |
| 26. | mount guard |
| | a. (of a sentry) to begin to keep watch |
| | b. (with over) to take up a protective or defensive stance (over something) |
| |
| Related: custodial |
| |
| [C15: from Old French garde, from garder to protect, of Germanic origin; compare Spanish guardar; see ward] |
| |
| 'guardable |
| |
| —adj |
| |
| 'guarder |
| |
| —n |
| |
| 'guardless |
| |
| —adj |
| |
| 'guardlike |
| |
| —adj |