- guard
- [[t]gɑ͟ː(r)d[/t]]
♦♦guards, guarding, guarded1) VERB If you guard a place, person, or object, you stand near them in order to watch and protect them.
[V n] Gunmen guarded homes near the cemetery with shotguns...
[V-ed] The public was kept out of the heavily guarded courtroom during the 20-minute hearing.
2) VERB If you guard someone, you watch them and keep them in a particular place to stop them from escaping.[V n] Marines with rifles guarded them...
[V n] He is being guarded by a platoon of police.
3) N-COUNT A guard is someone such as a soldier, police officer, or prison officer who is guarding a particular place or person.The prisoners overpowered their guards and locked them in a cell.
4) N-SING-COLL A guard is a specially organized group of people, such as soldiers or policemen, who protect or watch someone or something.We have a security guard around the whole area...
A heavily armed guard of police have sealed off the city centre.
5) N-COUNT On a train, a guard is a person whose job is to travel on the train in order to help passengers, check tickets, and make sure that the train travels safely and on time. [BRIT](in AM, use conductor)6) VERB If you guard some information or advantage that you have, you try to protect it or keep it for yourself.[V n] He closely guarded her identity.
[V-ed] ...a threat to the country's jealously guarded unity.
7) N-COUNT: usu with supp A guard is a protective device which covers a part of someone's body or a dangerous part of a piece of equipment....the chin guard of my helmet...
A blade guard is fitted to protect the operator.
8) N-IN-NAMES Some regiments in the British Army, or the soldiers in them, are referred to as Guards....the Grenadier Guards.
10) PHRASE: V inflects If someone catches you off guard, they surprise you by doing something you do not expect. If something catches you off guard, it surprises you by happening when you are not expecting it.Charm the audience and catch them off guard...
The invitation had caught me off guard.
11) PHRASE: V inflects If you lower your guard, let your guard down or drop your guard, you relax when you should be careful and alert, often with unpleasant consequences.The ANC could not afford to lower its guard until everything had been carried out...
You can't let your guard down...
It takes me a long time to drop my guard and get close to people.
12) PHRASE: V and N inflect If you mount guard or if you mount a guard, you organize people to watch or protect a person or place.They've even mounted guard outside the main hotel in the capital...
Police mounted round-the-clock guards on properties last night.
13) PHRASE: usu v-link PHR If you are on your guard or on guard, you are being very careful because you think a situation might become difficult or dangerous.The police have questioned him thoroughly, and he'll be on his guard...
He is constantly on guard against any threat of humiliation.
14) PHRASE: usu v-link PHR If someone is on guard, they are on duty and responsible for guarding a particular place or person.Police were on guard at Barnet town hall.
15) PHRASE: V inflects If you stand guard, you stand near a particular person or place because you are responsible for watching or protecting them.One young policeman stood guard outside the locked embassy gates.
16) PHRASE: v-link PHR, PHR after v If someone is under guard, they are being guarded.Three men were arrested and one was under guard in hospital.
Phrasal Verbs:
English dictionary. 2008.
