guard

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verb

To keep safe from danger, attack, or harm: defend, preserve, protect, safeguard, secure, shield, ward. Archaic fend. See attack/defend.

noun

1. A person or special body of persons assigned to provide protection or keep watch over, for example: lookout, picket, protector, sentinel, sentry, ward, watch. See awareness/unawareness, safety/danger.
2. The act or a means of defending: defense, preservation, protection, protector, safeguard, security, shield, ward. See attack/defend.

v

Definition: protect, watch
Antonyms: disregard, forget, ignore, neglect

Forces raised to protect the monarch or head of state sometimes serving as shock troops in battle. Guards have played a political as well as a military role. After the accession of Augustus the Praetorian Guard, which had originated as a legion, remained in Rome, where it exercised remarkable political power, often acting as emperor-maker. The spectacle of guardsmen who rarely fought but used their monopoly of force in the capital to generate political clout has not been confined to Rome. In 1789 the defection to the insurgents of the Gardes Françaises was of profound significance. The Gardes Suisses, on the other hand, defended the Tuileries in 1792 with unavailing courage, underlining the point that the most effective guards have often been foreigners, less likely to become embroiled in domestic politics.

Guards often enjoyed a personal relationship with their monarch, constituting household troops in a literal sense. The housecarls of Anglo-Saxon England were household warriors, maintained by their lord. Robert Abels has suggested that ‘their obligation to fight did not arise from the cash nexus but from the bonds of lordship’. The Anglo-Saxon poem The Battle of Maldon makes much of the housecarl's duty not to leave the field if his lord had fallen:

Steadfast warriors around Sturmere will have no cause
to taunt me with words, now my beloved one is dead,
that I travelled home lordless,
turned away from the fight, but a weapon will take me …

King Harold's housecarls fought to the death about his body at Hastings. ‘They were few in number, ’ recorded the chronicler William of Malmesbury, ‘but brave in the extreme.’

From the late 17th century guards in European armies assumed the form they were to retain, in most cases, until WW I. They grew to constitute at least several regiments apiece—in 1914 there were three full divisions of Russian foot guards, and even the much smaller British army fielded a Guards Division from 1915 and a Guards Armoured Division in WW II. They prized their links with the ruling dynasty. The two senior regiments of Russian footguards, the Preobrazhenskiy and Semenovskiy, originated in the boyhood friends Peter ‘the Great’ had drilled, while Napoleon, with an assortment of glittering uniforms at his disposal, usually appeared dressed simply as a colonel of chasseurs of his guard. Guards were exported to armies taught by European instructors: the Japanese Imperial Guard was modelled on the German.

In many armies the guard was socially exclusive, recruiting officers from the high nobility and sometimes enlisting private soldiers of gentle birth. When the Russian Chevalier Guard, the tsar's personal escort, was mauled at Austerlitz, Napoleon remarked: ‘Many fine ladies of St Petersburg will lament this day.’ The memorial to the Queen Augusta Guards Regiment at Saint-Privat, where the Prussian Guard Corps lost heavily on 18 August 1870, includes two princes of Salm-Salm, and the panel commemorating the Grenadier Guards on the British Memorial to the Missing at Le Touret bears the names of four titled officers.

The standing of guards units was often reflected by allowing their members to hold higher rank in the army than they did in their regiments. Until the mid-19th century British guards lieutenants ranked as majors in the line and captains as lieutenant colonels. Napoleon's guardsmen were paid as sergeants of the line, and so on up the hierarchy. Swedish household cavalrymen, known as drabants, ranked as captains in the line. British Household Cavalrymen are still addressed collectively as ‘gentlemen’, harking back to the 17th century when that is indeed what they would have been.

Alongside privileges in rank and pay went distinctive uniforms. Prussian guards uniforms featured the guards star and ‘bear's-paw’ lace. British footguards still wear a cap star, the stars on their officers' badges of rank are of a different pattern to those in the line, and their uniform buttons are arranged so as to differentiate regiments. Although bearskin caps are not exclusive to guards regiments, they have often been favoured by guards, were worn by both the grenadiers and chasseurs of Napoleon's Imperial Guard, and are retained by British and Danish footguards.

The social as well as the political standing of guards has made them suspect to some regimes. The USA has never had a guard proper (the extraordinarily smart ‘Old Guard’ is essentially a ceremonial unit) and republican France swiftly jettisoned the guard after the fall of the Second Empire, forming a smaller and less high-profile Republican Guard from the Garde de Paris, traditionally responsible for security in the capital.

Guards have served several purposes. The task of close protection often remained with a smaller, more ancient body like the Gentleman at Arms in England or the Royal Company of Archers in Scotland, or was entrusted to a specific group within the larger guard: monarchs of the ancien régime were protected by the Garde du corps (body guard) and Napoleon III by the Cent-Gardes. Habsburg monarchs were defended by palace guard companies. There was no guard proper in the Austrian or later Austro-Hungarian armies: its nearest equivalent was the crack Hoch-und-Deutchmeister infantry regiment. Guards did duty at royal or presidential palaces, contributing to the dignity of state occasions, attracting tourists and contributing to the social (and sexual) life of the capital. They provided a source of emulation for the rest of the army. Napoleon's Imperial Guard grew steadily in size—it was a staggering 112, 500 strong in 1814—partly in an effort to reward the pick of the conscripts of successive annual intakes and make conscription more tolerable. The Red Army dispensed with guards after the Revolution, but reinvented the title in 1941 as a means of rewarding units which performed well.

Guards have sometimes constituted a battlefield élite. Napoleon committed his guard as rarely as possible. Its splendid bearing in reserve wielded enormous psychological weight, and he was always conscious that such splendid soldiers could not be easily replaced. The Imperial Guard's repulse at Waterloo was the battle's decisive moment: the spectacle of the guard retiring caused panic in the line regiments. Tension between guard and line is not uncommon. When the Scots Fusilier Guards fell back at the Alma in the Crimean war, there were cries of ‘Shame! Shame! What about the queen's favourites now?’ Sir Colin Campbell, commanding the Highland Brigade, made his own feelings characteristically clear: ‘it were better that every man of Her Majesty's Guards should lie dead upon the field of battle than they should turn their backs upon the enemy’. Guards have been set high standards, and such is the store men set by reputation and honour that they have often attained them. When Tobruk was about to surrender to the Germans in 1942 the Coldstream Guards broke out: their commander argued that as a guards officer he had not been taught to surrender and did not propose to learn.

— Richard Holmes

v. 1. watch over to keep safe: they were sent to guard villagers from attack by bandits.

2. watch over in order to control entry and exit: the gates were guarded by uniformed soldiers.

3. watch over (someone) to prevent them from escaping.

n.

1. a soldier formally assigned to protect a person or to control access to a place: a security guard | he distracted the soldier on guard duty.

2. [treated as sing. or pl.] a body of soldiers serving to protect a place or person: the dog belonged to a member of the compound's guard.

guard of honor a group of soldiers ceremonially welcoming an important visitor or escorting a casket in a funeral.

See also honor guard

keep or stand guard act as a guard.

on guard on duty to protect or defend something.

under guard being guarded:

he was held in an empty stable under guard.

See the Introduction, Abbreviations and Pronunciation for further details.

(DOD) 1. A form of security operation whose primary task is to protect the main force by fighting to gain time while also observing and reporting information, and to prevent enemy ground observation of and direct fire against the main body by reconnoitering, attacking, defending, and delaying. A guard force normally operates within the range of the main body's indirect fire weapons. 2. A radio frequency that is normally used for emergency transmissions and is continuously monitored. UHF band: 243.0 MHZ; VHF band: 121.5 MHZ. See also cover; flank guard; screen. 3. A military or civilian individual assigned to protect personnel, equipment, or installations, or to oversee a prisoner.

IN BRIEF: n. - A position on a basketball team; The duty of serving as a sentry; A precautionary measure warding off impending danger or damage or injury etc. v. - To protect or defend; To keep safe from harm or attack; To watch over in order to protect.

He that would make his own liberty secure must guard even his enemy from oppression

LearnThatWord.com is a free vocabulary and spelling program where you only pay for results!

For a list of words related to guard, see:

• Railroad Personnel - guard: Chiefly Brit. conductor; elevated or subway brakeman
• Occupations and Job Titles
• Basketball
• Boxing and Wrestling
• Football

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See words rhyming with "guard."

  See crossword solutions for the clue Guard.

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Common misspelling(s) of guard

• gaurd

Dansk (Danish)
v. tr. - våge over, bevogte, beskytte, forsvare, dække
v. intr. - holde vagt, stå vagt
n. - konduktør, vagt, beskyttelse, fængselsbetjent

idioms:

• be on guard    være på vagt
• catch someone off guard    overraske en
• guard against    beskytte mod
• guard dog    vagthund
• guard of honour    æresvagt
• leg guard    benskinne
• mount guard    stille sig på vagt
• on one's guard    på vagt
• shin guard    skinnebensskinne
• stand guard    stå vagt
• under guard    under bevogtning

Nederlands (Dutch)
bewaken, de wacht houden, beveiligen, in toom houden, beschermen, voorzorgsmaat- regelen nemen, begeleiden, dekken (sport), bewaker, bewaking, wacht, beveiliging/ verdediging, conducteur, garde (militair), legeronderdeel met opdracht, spelverdeler, verdedigende houding iemand verrassen/ overrompelen

Français (French)
v. tr. - assurer la garde de, protéger (qn, une réputation), (fig) surveiller (son langage), garder (un prisonnier), garder (un secret)
v. intr. - se protéger (contre), se prémunir (contre), surveiller, garder, être vigilant
n. - surveillant, gardien (de prison), (Mil) garde, gardien (d'un endroit), (Mil) gardien, surveillance, escorte armée, (GB, Rail) chef de train, couvercle (sur imprimante), carter de protection, (GB) garde, (Ir) policier

idioms:

• catch someone off guard    prendre qn par surprise
• guard against    préserver de, protéger contre
• guard dog    chien de garde
• guard of honour    garde d'honneur
• leg guard    jambière
• mount guard    monter la garde, garde montée
• off guard    (finir) son tour de garde
• on guard    être de garde, tour de garde
• on one's guard    sur ses gardes, en éveil
• shin guard    protège-tibia
• stand guard    être de garde
• take guard    prendre la garde
• under guard    sous escorte

Deutsch (German)
v. - bewachen, hüten, wachen, beschützen, schützen
n. - Wächter, Posten, Wache, Garde, Schutzvorrichtung, Vorsicht

idioms:

• catch someone off guard    überraschen
• guard against    beschützen vor, schützen vor
• guard dog    Wachhund
• guard of honour    Ehrenwache, Ehrengarde
• leg guard    Beinschützer
• mount guard    Wache stehen
• off guard    (fig.) nicht auf der Hut sein
• on guard    auf Wache stehen
• on one's guard    auf der Hut
• shin guard    Schienbeinschützer
• stand guard    Wache stehen
• take guard    in Verteidigungsstellung gehen
• under guard    unter Bewachung

Ελληνική (Greek)
v. - (προ)φυλάσσω, προστατεύω, φρουρώ, προσέχω
n. - προφύλαξη, φρουρός, σκοπός, φρουρά, δεσμοφύλακας, φύλακας, επαγρύπνηση, (Βρετ. καθομ.) υπεύθυνος συρμού

idioms:

• be on guard    επαγρυπνώ, είμαι επιφυλακτικός
• catch someone off guard    συλλαμβάνω κοιμώμενο
• guard against    φυλάγομαι από
• guard dog    σκύλος-φύλακας
• guard of honour    (στρατ.) τιμητική φρουρά
• leg guard    προφυλακτήρας κνήμης
• mount guard    αναλαμβάνω φρουρά
• on one's guard    σε επαγρύπνηση, έτοιμος για αντιμετώπιση αιφνιδιασμού
• shin guard    προφυλακτήρας κνήμης
• stand guard    μπαίνω/είμαι φρουρός
• under guard    υπό φρούρηση

Italiano (Italian)
sorvegliare, vigilare, proteggere, guardiano, sentinella, guardia, controllore

idioms:

• be on guard    essere di guardia
• be on one's guard    stare in guardia
• catch someone off guard    prendere alla sprovvista
• guard against    proteggere da
• guard dog    cane da guardia
• guard of honour    guardia d'onore
• leg guard    parastinchi
• mount guard    montare la guardia
• on one's guard    all'erta
• shin guard    parastinchi
• stand guard    essere di guardia
• under guard    sotto sorveglianza

Português (Portuguese)
v. - guardar, precaver-se, estar de guarda
n. - sentinela (m), anteparo (m), defesa (f)

idioms:

• be on guard    estar prevenido
• catch someone off guard    apanhar alguém desprevenido
• guard against    prevenir-se contra
• guard dog    cão (m) de guarda
• guard of honour    guarda (f) de honra
• leg guard    proteção para a perna
• mount guard    montar guarda
• on one's guard    de guarda
• shin guard    proteção para a canela da perna
• stand guard    estar de guarda
• under guard    sob vigilância

Русский (Russian)
охранять, стоять в карауле, беречь, защищать, остерегаться, контролировать, охрана, часовой, осторожность, предохранительное устройство

idioms:

• be on guard    нести караул, быть настороже
• catch someone off guard    заставать врасплох
• guard against    засчитать
• guard dog    сторожевая собака
• guard of honour    почетный караул
• leg guard    защитный щиток на голени
• mount guard    нести караул
• on one's guard    настороже
• shin guard    защитный щиток на щиколотке
• stand guard    нести караул
• under guard    под стражей

Español (Spanish)
v. tr. - velar por, cuidar, vigilar, custodiar, defender, proteger, amparar, guardar, preservar, resguardar, salvaguardar
v. intr. - vigilar, defender, proteger, tomar precauciones
n. - protector, cuidador, centinela, guardia, vigilante, guarda, conductor

idioms:

• catch someone off guard    coger a alguien desprevenido
• guard against    preservar contra, proteger contra, resguardar de, guardarse de, precaverse de, impedir o evitar
• guard dog    perro guardián
• guard of honour    guardia de honor
• leg guard    espinillera
• mount guard    montar guardia, mantener vigilancia
• off guard    desprevenido
• on guard    estar de guardia, estar alerta, en guardia
• on one's guard    en guardia, alerta, prevenido
• shin guard    espinillera
• stand guard    montar la guardia
• take guard    asumir la guardia
• under guard    a buen recaudo

Svenska (Swedish)
v. - bevaka, skydda
n. - vakt, skydd, försvarsställning, konduktör, skyddsanordning

中文（简体）(Chinese (Simplified))
保卫, 当心, 看守, 防止, 警卫, 警惕, 守卫, 护卫队, 警戒

idioms:

• be on guard    在站岗, 在值班
• catch someone off guard    趁某人不备
• guard against    预防..., 警惕...
• guard dog    警卫犬, 看门狗
• guard of honour    仪仗队
• leg guard    护膝
• mount guard    上岗
• on one's guard    警惕
• shin guard    护胫
• stand guard    站岗
• under guard    被监视之下

中文（繁體）(Chinese (Traditional))
v. tr. - 保衛, 當心, 看守
v. intr. - 防止, 警衛, 警惕
n. - 守衛, 護衛隊, 警戒

idioms:

• be on guard    在站崗, 在值班
• catch someone off guard    趁某人不備
• guard against    預防..., 警惕...
• guard dog    警衛犬, 看門狗
• guard of honour    儀仗隊
• leg guard    護膝
• mount guard    上崗
• on one's guard    警惕
• shin guard    護脛
• stand guard    站崗
• under guard    被監視之下

한국어 (Korean)
v. tr. - 보호하다, 조심하다, 경계하다
v. intr. - 경계하다, 감시하다
n. - 보호하는 사람, 보호, 교도관

idioms:

• be on guard    보초를 서고 있다
• catch someone off guard    ~의 방심한 사이를 틈타다
• guard against    ~을 경계하다
• under guard    보호하에 있는

日本語 (Japanese)
n. - 見張り番, 番人, 警備員, 衛兵, 見張り, 看守, 車掌, 防護物, 近衛連隊, ガード
v. - 見張る, 番をする, 守る, 保護する, 警戒する, 用心する

idioms:

• advance guard    前衛, 前衛部隊, 先駆け
• be on guard    当番で
• guard against    から守る
• guard dog    番犬
• guard of honour    儀じょう兵
• on one's guard    歩哨に立って

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(فعل) يحرس, , يحاذر (الاسم) حارس, , لاعب في خط الدفاع يباغت‏

עברית (Hebrew)
v. tr. - ‮שמר על, שמר, הגן, מיגן, סיפק אמצעי הגנה‬
v. intr. - ‮שמר על, שמר, נקט רמצעי זהירות‬
n. - ‮משמר, עמדת הגנה, מגן, סוהר, שומר, עירנות, סוהר (צ. אמריקה), מגן (במשחקי כדור), תנועה או תנוחה של הגנה, קיר-מגן, רשת-מגן, פקיד אחראי על רכבת (בריטניה)‬

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