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guard

n. · v.
US //ˈɡɑɹd// UK //ɡˈɑːd// guard
  1. 1 person who protects (n.)
    A2 Elementary

    a person whose job is to protect a place or a person, or to prevent prisoners from escaping.

    an individual employed to maintain security, protect property, or supervise detainees.

    Example

    The security guard checked everyone's ID cards at the entrance to the building.

    Example

    Armed guards were stationed at every exit to ensure that no unauthorised personnel could enter the high-security laboratory.
  2. 2 state of caution (n.)
    B1 Intermediate

    a state of being careful and ready for possible danger or trouble.

    a state of constant vigilance or a defensive posture intended to prevent surprise or injury.

    Example

    The sudden question caught him off guard, and he didn't know what to say.

    Example

    The diplomat kept his guard up during the entire negotiation, careful not to reveal his country's true position.

    Usage

    Commonly used in the phrases 'on guard' or 'off guard'.
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  1. 3 protective equipment (n.)
    B1 Intermediate

    a piece of equipment that protects a part of your body or a dangerous part of a machine.

    a protective device or attachment designed to prevent injury to a person or damage to a mechanism.

    Example

    You should always wear shin guards when playing football to avoid leg injuries.

    Example

    The factory inspector noted that the safety guard on the circular saw had been illegally removed.
  2. 4 sports position (n.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate Sport

    a player in certain sports, like basketball or American football, who has a specific defensive or attacking role.

    a specific player position in team sports, typically involving defensive responsibilities or protecting a key teammate.

    Example

    The point guard passed the ball quickly to the taller player under the basket.

    Example

    The offensive guard moved laterally to block the defender, creating a wide lane for the running back.

  3. 5 programming condition (n.)
    C1 Advanced Technical Computing

    a piece of code that must be true for the rest of the program to continue.

    a boolean expression that must evaluate to true for a specific branch of program execution to proceed.

    Example

    The program uses a guard to check if the user is logged in before showing the page.

    Example

    By implementing a guard clause at the beginning of the function, the developer avoided deeply nested logic for invalid input cases.
  4. 6 to protect (v.)
    B1 Intermediate

    to protect a person, place, or object from weapon attacks, theft, or damage.

    to watch over or shield from danger; to maintain a state of security over a specific target.

    Example

    Two large dogs guard the house while the family is away on holiday.

    Example

    Soldiers were ordered to guard the bridge until the rest of the battalion had safely crossed the river.
Etymology 1

From Middle English garde, from early Middle French or late Old French guarde (“a guardian, warden, keeper”) (whence modern French garde), from the verb guarder. Doublet of garda, which is from Irish.

Etymology 2

From early Middle French garder or late Old French (circa 14th cent) guarder (“to keep, ward, guard, save, preserve, etc.”), from Early Medieval Latin wardo, from Frankish wardēn, from Proto-Germanic wardāną (“to guard, protect”). Cognate with French garder, Old English weardian (whence also the English inherited doublet ward). See also English regard.

Idioms1 entry

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