The Collaborative International Dictionary
Guard \Guard\, n. [OF. guarde, F. garde; of German origin; cf. OHG. wart, warto, one who watches, warta a watching, Goth. wardja watchman. See Guard, v. t.]
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One who, or that which, guards from injury, danger, exposure, or attack; defense; protection.
His greatness was no guard to bar heaven's shaft.
--Shak. -
A man, or body of men, stationed to protect or control a person or position; a watch; a sentinel.
The guard which kept the door of the king's house.
--Kings xiv. 27. One who has charge of a mail coach or a railway train; a conductor. [Eng.]
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Any fixture or attachment designed to protect or secure against injury, soiling, or defacement, theft or loss; as:
That part of a sword hilt which protects the hand.
Ornamental lace or hem protecting the edge of a garment.
A chain or cord for fastening a watch to one's person or dress.
A fence or rail to prevent falling from the deck of a vessel.
An extension of the deck of a vessel beyond the hull; esp., in side-wheel steam vessels, the framework of strong timbers, which curves out on each side beyond the paddle wheel, and protects it and the shaft against collision.
A plate of metal, beneath the stock, or the lock frame, of a gun or pistol, having a loop, called a bow, to protect the trigger.
(Bookbinding) An interleaved strip at the back, as in a scrap book, to guard against its breaking when filled.
A posture of defense in fencing, and in bayonet and saber exercise.
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An expression or admission intended to secure against objections or censure.
They have expressed themselves with as few guards and restrictions as I.
--Atterbury. Watch; heed; care; attention; as, to keep guard.
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(Zo["o]l.) The fibrous sheath which covers the phragmacone of the Belemnites. Note: Guard is often used adjectively or in combination; as, guard boat or guardboat; guardroom or guard room; guard duty. Advanced guard, Coast guard, etc. See under Advanced, Coast, etc. Grand guard (Mil.), one of the posts of the second line belonging to a system of advance posts of an army. --Mahan. Guard boat.
A boat appointed to row the rounds among ships of war in a harbor, to see that their officers keep a good lookout.
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A boat used by harbor authorities to enforce the observance of quarantine regulations.
Guard cells (Bot.), the bordering cells of stomates; they are crescent-shaped and contain chlorophyll.
Guard chamber, a guardroom.
Guard detail (Mil.), men from a company regiment etc., detailed for guard duty.
Guard duty (Mil.), the duty of watching patrolling, etc., performed by a sentinel or sentinels.
Guard lock (Engin.), a tide lock at the mouth of a dock or basin.
Guard of honor (Mil.), a guard appointed to receive or to accompany eminent persons.
Guard rail (Railroads), a rail placed on the inside of a main rail, on bridges, at switches, etc., as a safeguard against derailment.
Guard ship, a war vessel appointed to superintend the marine affairs in a harbor, and also, in the English service, to receive seamen till they can be distributed among their respective ships.
Life guard (Mil.), a body of select troops attending the person of a prince or high officer.
Off one's guard, in a careless state; inattentive; unsuspicious of danger.
On guard, serving in the capacity of a guard; doing duty as a guard or sentinel; watching.
On one's guard, in a watchful state; alert; vigilant.
To mount guard (Mil.), to go on duty as a guard or sentinel.
To run the guard, to pass the watch or sentinel without leave.
Syn: Defense; shield; protection; safeguard; convoy; escort; care; attention; watch; heed.
WordNet
n. a boat that is on guard duty (as in a harbor) around a fleet of warships
Usage examples of "guard boat".
But until we get the flag, if a customs or Coast Guard boat sees us, they'll stop us.
And gradually the Ariel caught the late-afternoon breeze and began moving more swiftly, and a Brazilian guard boat sailed out to protest the departure, but its attention was distracted by the fact that the English ship of war was also leaving without proper clearance.
The boys lapsed into worried silence until the Coast Guard boat came within sight of rocky cliffs towering high above the white beach.
They mingled with the boat traffic around Ensenada, where they spotted a Mexican coast guard boat steaming at full speed in the opposite direction.
As the water returned to normal, a Coast Guard boat moved in and dropped a marker buoy where the ship had been.
But gradually the Coast Guard boat lessened the distance between them.
I would have tried to slip by at night, like we did at Sacz, but this time of year there's so little traffic that they usually don't keep a guard boat out, and I was worried that if we wasted time, the river might freeze.
At the batteries the racket of the attack was still continuing, and even as the barge pushed away from the derelict guard boat there came a sudden splutter of musketry fire from higher up the bay.
Hornblower remembered with pride that he had not known a moment's fear last night in Port Vendres, not when he leaped on board the guard boat, not even when he had found himself in the nightmare embrace of the boarding netting.