ward 1 of 2

noun

ˈwȯrd How to pronounce ward (audio)
Definition of wardnext
1
as in defense
means or method of defending frequent hand washing is an oft-recommended ward against the spread of common germs

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in custody
responsibility for the safety and well-being of someone or something gained the ward of his cousin upon the death of her parents

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ward

2 of 2

verb

as in to protect
to drive danger or attack away from vowed that he would take whatever measures were necessary to ward the nation's people

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of ward
Noun
Ed starts having memory issues and ends up in a psychiatric ward. — Matt Minton, Variety, 27 Aug. 2026 The fire was contained to the nursery in the hospital's gynecology ward and did not affect any other hospital wards. — Robert McGreevy, FOXNews.com, 26 Aug. 2026
Verb
Given how locker room dysfunction had sabotaged the 2024-25 campaign, the club valued that latter factor enormously in deciding to promote Foote — and ward him off from joining Rick Tocchet’s staff in Philadelphia. — Thomas Drance, New York Times, 1 Apr. 2026 Of course, this doesn’t mean you’re doomed to be bitten all summer; there are various ways to prevent bites and ward them off altogether. — Scott Travers, Forbes.com, 5 Mar. 2026 See All Example Sentences for ward
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ward
  1. defense
  2. custody
  3. protect
  4. ammunition
  5. care
  6. defend
  7. safeguard
  8. guard
Noun
  • Davis’ defense attorney, Michael Sanft, challenged jurors to identify evidence outside Davis’ own statements that placed him in Las Vegas or inside the Cadillac on the night Shakur was shot.
    — Jonathan Landrum Jr, Chicago Tribune, 1 Sep. 2026
  • Allen collected three hits and played terrific defense during a 6-3 win against the Mets.
    — Chandler Rome, New York Times, 31 Aug. 2026
Definition of defense
Noun
  • Booking information from Clark County Detention Center in Nevada shows Hughes in custody with no bail, with a hearing before a judge scheduled for Thursday morning.
    — Dennis Romero, NBC news, 26 Aug. 2026
  • Guzman Soto was about a half mile from his home in the West Bronx when he was taken into custody, cops said.
    — Colin Mixson, New York Daily News, 26 Aug. 2026
Definition of custody
Verb
  • Play was suspended on the outside courts, but the roofs could close on Armstrong and Ashe, protecting Bublik and Wolf, and Novak Djokovic and Mariano Navone, from the elements.
    — Rebecca Tauber, New York Times, 31 Aug. 2026
  • Families who answer those questions early protect both generations.
    — Jon Sabes, Fortune, 30 Aug. 2026
Definition of protect
Noun
  • Ukrainian officials said the strike, which marks the deadliest Russian attack in Ukraine so far this year, hit an ammunition storage facility in the village of Myla, triggering fires and explosions.
    — Sam Meredith, CNBC, 31 Aug. 2026
  • This is a high-purity form of antimony which has defense uses, particularly in primers, ammunition and pyrotechnic compositions.
    — Christopher McFadden, Interesting Engineering, 30 Aug. 2026
Definition of ammunition
Noun
  • Flowers like geraniums, coleus, and lavender are easy to propagate and maintain with proper care indoors.
    — Alexandra Jones, The Spruce, 30 Aug. 2026
  • Slate chips replace the usual bark or mulch, and layered plantings, custom window boxes and a medallion set into the rear of the fireplace show the same level of care found indoors.
    — David Caraccio, Sacbee.com, 29 Aug. 2026
Definition of care
Verb
  • Alonso is leaning into Chelsea’s strength — the transitional attacking power of his front three — and working on protecting the weakness, giving up too much space for his team to defend.
    — Jon Mackenzie, New York Times, 1 Sep. 2026
  • Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent also defended the decision to increase bond purchases earlier last month, after investor Stanley Druckenmiller criticized the move.
    — Lim Hui Jie, CNBC, 1 Sep. 2026
Definition of defend
Noun
  • Meta agreed to a landmark settlement worth up to $17 billion, promising new safeguards on Facebook and Instagram after states alleged that the platforms were engineered to addict and harm kids.
    — Queenie Wong, Los Angeles Times, 28 Aug. 2026
  • Milanesi agrees safeguards should be in place, but isn’t convinced AI replacing humans on spreadsheets is necessarily inviting a higher risk of error.
    — Marc Saltzman, USA Today, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of safeguard
Verb
  • The inner workings of these buildings are guarded like state secrets.
    — Jenny Bailly, Allure, 1 Sep. 2026
  • Anthropic closely guards its training data sources, but music publishers think the court should require more transparency.
    — Ashley Belanger, ArsTechnica, 31 Aug. 2026
Definition of guard

Browse Nearby Words

war cry
ward
warded
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Cite this Entry

“Ward.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ward. Accessed 1 Sep. 2026.

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