to stand guard
27
3.2
- phrasal verb
- /stænd ɡɑrd/
:
hacer guardia
- During the night, I had to stand guard to keep the camp safe.
When I sleep, you watch, When you sleep, I stand guard.
- When I sleep, you watch, When you sleep, I stand guard.
- He hadn't shaved and his right hand man was just standing out on the porch kind of standing guard.
- So if you don't get up every day and stand guard because we're not strong enough, I don't think I'm not anyway.
Examples
-
I could stand guard outside your door.
-
Somebody has to stand guard here nights.
-
Bob, you and the boys stand guard.
-
All we do is stand guard.
-
We will stand guard at the doors as they go out.
-
We were standing guard in case Santa tries anything.
-
Men spoke of me often that night as I stood guard with the others.
Fiction book (1991) -
But with all of Oz at risk, I need you two to stand guard... while I try to contact Dorothy.
-
More than a dozen heavily armed police officers stand guard all around the perimeter.
Fiction book (1993) -
You and I are standing guard on one of the last great open spaces, Trent.
Synonyms
145
2.3
To look after someone or something to keep them safe
30
3.1
To stay alert and watch for danger or trouble
10
3.4
To stay awake and guard people or a place
2
3.1
To stay and watch to protect people or a place
1
7.0
To watch and guard a place or person
Antonyms
How Watchful
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'to remain in a position to watch over and protect' is directly derivable from combining 'stand' (to remain stationary) with 'guard' (a person who protects), since the phrase means to stand in the role of a guard. This verb+noun role-construction is regular in English and cross-linguistically common, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents would very likely infer the meaning.
Etymology
The phrase stand guard comes from the simple image of someone who stands by a door or gate as a guard, watching for danger. That's why it means 'to watch over and protect'.