1
as in defense
means or method of defending
frequent hand washing is an oft-recommended ward against the spread of common germs
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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
Joe Battenfeld, Boston Herald, 11 Sep. 2025
She was eventually transferred to the gynecology ward at the Westmead Hospital.
—Toria Sheffield, PEOPLE, 6 Sep. 2025
Ron Estes, MSNBC Newsweek, 28 Mar. 2025
Try candles or sprays scented with citronella, lemon, or vanilla to ward them off.
—Arricca Elin Sansone, Southern Living, 16 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for ward
Noun
Incumbent Michelle Wu leveled him in every ward and almost every precinct in Tuesday’s preliminary election, including in the Franklin Park area where Kraft has made Wu’s plan to build a women’s professional soccer stadium at White Stadium a major issue.
—Joe Battenfeld, Boston Herald, 11 Sep. 2025
She was eventually transferred to the gynecology ward at the Westmead Hospital.
—Toria Sheffield, PEOPLE, 6 Sep. 2025
Verb
To ward her off and save the town, Chuck has to find the key to her home - 825 Forest Road.
—Ron Estes, MSNBC Newsweek, 28 Mar. 2025
Try candles or sprays scented with citronella, lemon, or vanilla to ward them off.
—Arricca Elin Sansone, Southern Living, 16 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for ward
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ward
Noun
-
Its peptides, biotin, glycerin, and ginseng root extract offer a nourishing defense against breakage and brittleness, reviving the brows of numerous staffers at Allure HQ.—
Sophia Panych,
Allure,
16 Sep. 2025
-
Air defenses were active in the sky over Kyiv, local officials there said.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
16 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
The platform confirmed reports that Robinson had posted messages to a Discord chat two hours before being taken into custody.—
Connor Greene,
Time,
17 Sep. 2025
-
Robinson remains in custody and is scheduled for a virtual court hearing later today.—
Amanda Castro
Hannah Parry
Joshua Rhett Miller,
MSNBC Newsweek,
16 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
At every level—executive, judicial, legislative, corporate, institutional, media—every single guardrail that is supposed to protect our democracy is buckling.—
Ross O'Keefe,
The Washington Examiner,
20 Sep. 2025
-
The only question that remains regarding Kershaw’s Hall of Fame candidacy is which member of the Baseball Writers’ Association of America (BBWAA) will be protected by anonymity and prevent him from being a unanimous selection in his first year of eligibility on the 2031 ballot.—
Wayne G. McDonnell,
Forbes.com,
20 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
The country is splintered, and language gets used as ammunition.—
Vibhas Ratanjee,
Forbes.com,
15 Sep. 2025
-
The rifle that authorities believe was used in the assassination contained ammunition inscribed with antifascist messaging, sources confirmed to Fox News Digital.—
Stepheny Price,
FOXNews.com,
13 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Patients with mental health conditions have also been regularly denied emergency care, according to federal agencies.—
ProPublica,
ProPublica,
22 Sep. 2025
-
Mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani promises to make childcare free for kids 6 weeks to 5 years old by subsidizing family care, paying teachers a living wage, easing regulatory burden to open more child care centers.—
Yasser Salem,
Fortune,
21 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Tesla spent years defending, ultimately successfully, its 2016 acquisition of Solar City, Musk’s struggling clean-energy company.—
Liz Hoffman,
semafor.com,
16 Sep. 2025
-
Acosta defended the deal with Epstein in a news conference four days after the multi-millionaire's arrest.—
James Hill,
ABC News,
15 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
The amendment’s ambiguous language, cumbersome procedures, and insufficient safeguards create dangerous vulnerabilities in our democratic system that must be addressed.—
Lynn Schmidt,
Twin Cities,
19 Sep. 2025
-
Managers won’t cede control without safeguards.—
Ron Schmelzer,
Forbes.com,
19 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Space states like Florida and California, for example—home to NASA’s two biggest centers—jealously guard their share of the federal pie.—
Jeffrey Kluger,
Time,
18 Sep. 2025
-
However, the win was a team effort as forward Brianna Turner (four points, six rebounds), forward Mikayla Timpson (nine points), guards Shey Peddy, Lexie Hull, and Aerial Powers brought the defensive energy and physicality that Indiana desperately needed.—
Allison Smith,
Forbes.com,
17 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Ward.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ward. Accessed 22 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share