Skip to main content
face guard

face guard

1 3.9
A set of metal bars attached to the front of a football helmet that protects the player's face
  • noun
  • US
translation icon : máscara facial
  • And in the plastic face guards of the soldiers' helmets, he sees his own reflection, expanding and contracting, over and over again.
  • wear a face guard

Examples

  • Arien stared through his face guard.

    Fiction book (2000)
  • American border patrol officers can easily equip themselves with bulletproof helmets and plexiglass face guards!

    Blog text (27)
  • Arien pushed himself up and pulled grass out of his face guard.

    Fiction book (2000)
  • The policemen wore hard-mirrored face guards over impassive faces.

    Fiction book (2000)
  • She snapped the face guard in place over his chin before strapping on the breastplate.

    Fiction book (1995)
  • He turned it, and above the face guard, Bernardino, Harmon, and Broncho's concerned expressions floated.

    Fiction book (2000)
  • The player adjusted his helmet, ensuring that the face guard was securely in place.

  • Before stepping onto the field, the coach reminded everyone to double-check their face guards for safety.

  • The young athlete felt safer knowing the face guard on his helmet would protect him during the game.

Synonyms

face mask
vsface guard
2 1.8

A protective covering worn over the face in sports to prevent injury

is a strong wire mesh fixed to the front of a football helmet
bar mask
vsface guard
  • US
6.4

A protective face guard made of metal bars used by the catcher in baseball or softball

is made of strong wire bars attached to a helmet front in football
fencing mask
vsface guard
5.5

A protective face cover made of mesh worn in fencing

is stronger coarse wire fixed to a football helmet front for impact
fencer's mask
vsface guard
6.5

A protective face covering made of wire mesh worn by someone who fences to stop sword hits

is coarser and attached to a football helmet rather than a separate item
facepiece
vsface guard
  • Specialized
4.5

The part of a mask that covers and fits over the face

is a separate strong mesh fixed to helmet front, not a respirator part

How Protective

face guard
  • US
1 3.9
visor
7 8.0

Surface Forms

face guard singular
face guards plural

Morphology

face + guard

The compound 'face guard' is a literal composition of 'face' (the front part of the head) and 'guard' (a protective cover), so its meaning as a protective device for the face is directly inferable. This straightforward, concrete noun-formation follows common, cross-linguistic composition patterns and would be immediately understandable to a B1 learner who knows both words.

Etymology

Face guard comes from a simple picture: a guard fixed to the front of a helmet to cover the player's face. Early versions were strong metal bars or a wire mesh, so the name now means 'a strong wire mesh attached to the front of a football helmet to protect the player's face'.