What does "ward" mean?
A warden; a guard; a guardian or watchman.
Ward
/wɔːd/ name, noun, verb
name, noun, verb ·Very common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A warden; a guard; a guardian or watchman.
- Grammar: ward is listed as name, noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: acropolis, administration, aegis, archbishopric.
- Useful contrasts: spanish conservador, allow, attacker.
- Usage evidence: Ten years ago the ward office gave us ballpoint pens on the Coming of Age Day.
How to use "ward"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "ward" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "ward" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "ward" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "ward" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "ward" is acting as name, noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "acropolis" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
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Final meaning check
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When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A warden; a guard; a guardian or watchman. archaic, obsolete
"th'aſſieged Caſtles ward Their ſtedfaſt ſtonds did mightily maintaine"
- 2 Protection, defence.; The action of a watchman; monitoring, surveillance (usually in phrases keep ward etc.) countable, uncountable
"Before the dore ſat ſelfe-conſuming Care, Day and night keeping wary watch and ward, For feare leaſt Force or Fraud ſhould vnaware Breake in[…]"
- 3 a division of a prison (usually consisting of several cells) wordnet
- 4 Protection, defence.; Guardianship, especially of a child or prisoner. countable, uncountable
"So forth the presoners were brought before Arthure, and he commaunded hem into kepyng of the conestabyls warde, surely to be kepte as noble presoners."
- 5 block forming a division of a hospital (or a suite of rooms) shared by patients who need a similar kind of care wordnet
Show 15 more definitions
- 6 Protection, defence.; An enchantment or spell placed over a designated area or social unit, that prevents any tresspasser from entering; approaching; or even being able to locate said protected premises or demographic. countable, uncountable
- 7 a district into which a city or town is divided for the purpose of administration and elections wordnet
- 8 Protection, defence.; A guarding or defensive motion or position. countable, uncountable
"Thou knowest my old ward; here I lay, and thus I bore my point."
- 9 a person who is under the protection or in the custody of another wordnet
- 10 Protection, defence.; Land tenure through military service. countable, historical, uncountable
- 11 A protected place, and by extension, a type of subdivision.; An area of a castle, corresponding to a circuit of the walls. countable, uncountable
"Diocletian[…]must certainly have derived some consolation from the grandeur of Aspalaton, the great arcaded wall it turned to the Adriatic, its four separate wards, each town size, and its seventeen watch-towers[…]."
- 12 A protected place, and by extension, a type of subdivision.; A section or subdivision of a prison. countable, uncountable
- 13 A protected place, and by extension, a type of subdivision.; An administrative division of a borough, city or council. countable, uncountable
"On our last visit to Tokyo, we went to Chiyoda ward and visited the Emperor's palace."
- 14 A protected place, and by extension, a type of subdivision.; A division of a forest. UK, countable, uncountable
- 15 A protected place, and by extension, a type of subdivision.; A subdivision of the LDS Church, smaller than and part of a stake, but larger than a branch. Mormonism, countable, uncountable
- 16 A protected place, and by extension, a type of subdivision.; A part of a hospital, with beds, where patients reside. countable, uncountable
"Since sick people were apt to be present, he could not always depend on a lively young crowd in the same ward with him, and the entertainment was not always good."
- 17 A person under guardianship.; A minor looked after by a guardian. countable, uncountable
"After the trial, little Robert was declared a ward of the state."
- 18 A person under guardianship.; An underage orphan. countable, obsolete, uncountable
- 19 An object used for guarding. countable, uncountable
- 20 An object used for guarding.; The ridges on the inside of a lock, or the incisions on a key. countable, uncountable
"A man muſt thorowly ſound himſelfe, and dive into his heart, and there ſee by what wards or ſprings the motions ſtirre."
Verb
- 1 To keep in safety, to watch over, to guard. transitive
"Whoſe gates he found faſt ſhut, ne liuing wight To ward the ſame, nor anſwere commers call"
- 2 watch over or shield from danger or harm; protect wordnet
- 3 To defend, to protect. transitive
"Tell him it was a hand that warded him From a thousand dangers."
- 4 To fend off, to repel, to turn aside, as anything mischievous that approaches. (usually followed by off) transitive
"Draw forth thy ſword, thou mightie man at armes, Intending but to raiſe my charmed ſkin: And Ioue himſelfe will ſtretch his hand from heauen, To ward the blow, and ſhield me ſafe from harme, […]"
- 5 To be vigilant; to keep guard. intransitive
"They for vs fight, they watch and dewly ward, And their bright Squadrons round about vs plant […]"
Show 1 more definition
- 6 To act on the defensive with a weapon. intransitive
Proper Noun
- 1 An English surname originating as an occupation for a guard or watchman. countable
- 2 Clipping of Edward (a corruption of the name Edward). abbreviation, alt-of, clipping
- 3 An English male given name. countable
- 4 Clipping of Howard. abbreviation, alt-of, clipping
- 5 A placename; A parish of Castleknock, Fingal, Ireland. countable, uncountable
Show 16 more definitions
- 6 A placename; A river in Ireland; in full, Ward River. countable, uncountable
- 7 A placename; A small town in Marlborough, South Island, New Zealand, named after Joseph Ward. countable, uncountable
- 8 A placename; Ellipsis of Ward Beach: a coastline in Marlborough, South Island, New Zealand. abbreviation, alt-of, countable, ellipsis, uncountable
- 9 A placename; A locale in the United States:; An unincorporated community in Sumter County, Alabama. countable, uncountable
- 10 A placename; A locale in the United States:; A city in Lonoke County, Arkansas. countable, uncountable
- 11 A placename; A locale in the United States:; A town in Boulder County, Colorado. countable, uncountable
- 12 A placename; A locale in the United States:; An unincorporated community in Jackson Township, Boone County, Indiana. countable, uncountable
- 13 A placename; A locale in the United States:; A township in Todd County, Minnesota. countable, uncountable
- 14 A placename; A locale in the United States:; A town in Allegany County, New York. countable, uncountable
- 15 A placename; A locale in the United States:; A township in Hocking County, Ohio. countable, uncountable
- 16 A placename; A locale in the United States:; A township in Tioga County, Pennsylvania. countable, uncountable
- 17 A placename; A locale in the United States:; A town in Saluda County, South Carolina. countable, uncountable
- 18 A placename; A locale in the United States:; A town in Moody County, South Dakota. countable, uncountable
- 19 A placename; A locale in the United States:; An unincorporated community in Stevens County, Washington. countable, uncountable
- 20 A placename; A locale in the United States:; An unincorporated community and coal town in Kanawha County, West Virginia. countable, uncountable
- 21 A placename; A locale in the United States:; Ellipsis of Ward County. abbreviation, alt-of, countable, ellipsis, uncountable
Antonyms
Example
"Ten years ago the ward office gave us ballpoint pens on the Coming of Age Day."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "ward"?
Common synonyms include: acropolis, administration, aegis, archbishopric, archdiocese, armament.
How do you use "ward" in a sentence?
Ten years ago the ward office gave us ballpoint pens on the Coming of Age Day.
How do you pronounce "ward"?
Pronounced /wɔːd/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Middle English ward, from Old English weard (“keeper, watchman, guard, guardian, protector; lord, king; possessor”), from Proto-Germanic *warduz (“guard, keeper”), from Proto-Indo-European *wer- (“to heed, defend”). Cognate with Dutch waard, German Wart.
Etymology 2
From Middle English ward, warde, from Old English weard (“watching, ward, protection, guardianship; advance post; waiting for, lurking, ambuscade”), from Proto-West Germanic *wardu, from Proto-Germanic *wardō (“protection, attention, keeping”), an extension of the stem *wara- (“attentive”) (English wary, beware), from Proto-Indo-European *wer- (“to cover”). Cognate with German Warte (“watchtower”), warten (“wait for”); English guard is a parallel form which came via Old French.
Etymology 3
From Middle English warden, from Old English weardian (“to watch, guard, keep, protect, preserve; hold, possess, occupy, inhabit; rule, govern”), from Proto-West Germanic *wardēn, from Proto-Germanic *wardōną, *wardāną (“to guard”), from Proto-Indo-European *wer- (“to heed, defend”). Doublet of guard.
Etymology 4
* As an English surname, from the noun ward and related cognates such as warden, guard etc. * As an Irish surname, reduced from McWard, from mac an bard (“son of the poet”). * As a Jewish surname, adapted from Warshawski, named after Warsaw. Comparable to Warszawski. * As a French surname, Americanized from Guerin.
Etymology 5
A shortened form.