as in guardians
a person or group that watches over someone or something
a lone sentinel kept watch over the fort
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Recent Examples of sentinels
The populations in Akwa (also in southeastern Igboland) formed vigilante groups armed with rifles, built towers where sentinels were posted, and their shots would alert villagers if raiders came within sight.
—
Literary Hub, 5 Dec. 2025
That majestic array of green-gray gneiss sentinels may be the most conceptually elaborate Neolithic monument in Europe.
—Alex Ross, New Yorker, 24 Nov. 2025
Arizona’s iconic saguaro cactuses seem like immobile sentinels standing watch over the Sonoran desert landscape.
—John Leos, AZCentral.com, 10 Nov. 2025
The world’s lakes are considered sentinels of climate change and are warming dramatically as global temperatures rise.
—Laura Paddison, CNN Money, 6 Nov. 2025
By removing friction, letting AI handle the heavy lifting and investing in modern SAT/PST, leaders transform reluctant users into proactive sentinels.
—Eyal Benishti, Forbes.com, 19 Sep. 2025
The satellite, Space Weather Follow-On L1 (SWFO-L1), is launching just in time, as scientists warn our aging fleet of solar sentinels is reaching the end of its life.
—Daisy Dobrijevic, Space.com, 19 Sep. 2025
The sentinels of conventional wisdom settled on the view that the Iraq invasion was one of the great own goals of American foreign policy, and that its beneficiary was Iran.
—Graeme Wood, The Atlantic, 2 Sep. 2025
The previous study had shown that CLNP changed the behavior of dendritic cells, specialized immune cells that act as the immune system’s sentinels, initiating and regulating immune responses.
—New Atlas, 6 Aug. 2025
Literary Hub, 5 Dec. 2025
That majestic array of green-gray gneiss sentinels may be the most conceptually elaborate Neolithic monument in Europe.
—Alex Ross, New Yorker, 24 Nov. 2025
Arizona’s iconic saguaro cactuses seem like immobile sentinels standing watch over the Sonoran desert landscape.
—John Leos, AZCentral.com, 10 Nov. 2025
The world’s lakes are considered sentinels of climate change and are warming dramatically as global temperatures rise.
—Laura Paddison, CNN Money, 6 Nov. 2025
By removing friction, letting AI handle the heavy lifting and investing in modern SAT/PST, leaders transform reluctant users into proactive sentinels.
—Eyal Benishti, Forbes.com, 19 Sep. 2025
The satellite, Space Weather Follow-On L1 (SWFO-L1), is launching just in time, as scientists warn our aging fleet of solar sentinels is reaching the end of its life.
—Daisy Dobrijevic, Space.com, 19 Sep. 2025
The sentinels of conventional wisdom settled on the view that the Iraq invasion was one of the great own goals of American foreign policy, and that its beneficiary was Iran.
—Graeme Wood, The Atlantic, 2 Sep. 2025
The previous study had shown that CLNP changed the behavior of dendritic cells, specialized immune cells that act as the immune system’s sentinels, initiating and regulating immune responses.
—New Atlas, 6 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sentinels
Noun
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But parents and guardians can enroll now by filling out Form 4547 through the IRS when filing their tax returns.—
Lisa Hagen,
Hartford Courant,
11 Feb. 2026
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Students were transported to Bear Creek Middle School, where they could be be picked up by parents or guardians.—
Christopher Harris,
CBS News,
10 Feb. 2026
Noun
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The team’s mean average height is 6-foot-4 due to the notable shortness of main rotation guards Tre Jones (6-foot-1) and Rob Dillingham (6-foot-2) and two-way guards Yuki Kawamura (5-foot-7) and Mac McClung (6-foot-2).—
Colleen Kane,
Chicago Tribune,
10 Feb. 2026
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The team is paying a ton of money to starting guards Damien Lewis and Robert Hunt, so Zavala’s only avenue for playing time is as backup insurance.—
Mike Kaye
February 10,
Charlotte Observer,
10 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Pricing structures vary between dealers, retirement-account transactions often require coordination with custodians and storage providers, and purchases frequently involve direct interaction with company representatives.—
Roxanne Downer,
USA Today,
10 Feb. 2026
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But details of the city’s budget process show all sides had a hand in making the decisions that led to the custodians getting laid off.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
10 Feb. 2026
Noun
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From 1883 to 1977, opulent trains operated under this banner throughout Europe, the Middle East, and Asia, inspiring Agatha Christie’s titular 1934 mystery, along with legions of bucket-list-keepers for whom the trains represent the ne plus ultra of glamorous, old-school travel.—
Adam Erace,
Travel + Leisure,
6 Feb. 2026
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Nonprofit associations provide the option to apply online to aid a variety of lighthouses with maintenance, acting as docents and staying overnight as volunteer keepers.—
Jenna Prestininzi,
Freep.com,
4 Feb. 2026
Noun
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According to wardens, a team of trackers spotted the twins on Saturday, with monitoring and protection measures in force to increase their chances of survival.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
9 Jan. 2026
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Forest wardens walk into Kyebi Forest Reserve in the East Akim Municipal district in Ghana.—
Charlie Campbell,
Time,
30 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Kochab is the brighter of the two outer stars in the bowl of the Little Dipper (the other being Pherkad), which seem to march in a circle like sentries around Polaris, the North Star.—
Joe Rao,
Space.com,
14 Dec. 2025
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The pair later designed pieces for various regiments of the Royal Guards, the sentries protecting Buckingham Palace and St James’s Palace in London.—
Oscar Holland,
CNN Money,
6 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Sentinels.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sentinels. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
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