guard (gärd) v. guard·ed, guard·ing, guards v. tr.
[Middle English garden, from Old French garder, guarder, of Germanic origin; see wer-3 in Indo-European roots.] guard'er n. |
stand guard
Watch over, act as a lookout, as in We'll climb the tree and get the apples if Josh will stand guard, or There's a parking space; stand guard while I make a U-turn and get to it. This term alludes to the military defense of posting guards to watch for the enemy.