Meanings
plural lifeguards · alternative life-guard
- A lifesaver: a rescuer, usually an expert swimmer, employed to save swimmers in trouble or near drowning at a body of water.
It's also generally wise to recruit lifeguards to ensure visitor safety, as bathers can panic in the water and require assistance.
2025 February 28, Rick Lane, “Review: Planet Coaster 2”, in PC Gamer (US), number 392, page 67; published online 1 November 2024 - uncommonA bodyguard or unit of bodyguards, a guard of someone's (especially a king's) life or person.
"The people's love is the king's lifeguard."
1776, The London Magazine, Or, Gentleman's Monthly Intelligencer2 more examples
[I]n the reserve were the king's lifeguard, commanded by the earl of Lindsey, and prince Rupert's regiment of foot[.]
1843, Edward Hyde, The History of the Rebellion and Civil Wars in England, page 553Constantine the Great is known to have raised the five scholae of horsemen who formed the actual lifeguard of the prince, and followed his person whenever he went out to war.
2012, Charles Oman, A History of the Art of War: The Middle Ages - rail transportA sturdy metal bracket fixed in front of each of the leading wheels of a train to deflect small objects away from the wheels to prevent derailment.
It also looked at what effect stronger lifeguards might have had. They protect the leading wheels from small obstacles and in modern trains have coped with hitting landslip debris.
2022 March 23, Philip Haigh, “Network News: Driver of ScotRail HST had only seconds to react, says RAIB”, in RAIL, number 953, page 11
Synonyms & antonyms
nounan attendant employed at a beach or pool to protect swimmers from accidents
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Dutchlijfgarde
- Englishlifeguard
From life + guard, calque of Dutch lijfgarde, where life has the sense of Dutch lijf (“body”) (hence literally “bodyguard”). Compare German Leibgarde (“bodyguard”), Danish livgarde (“bodyguard”), Swedish livgarde (“bodyguard”). Compare also Old English līfweard (“guardian of life”).
More words from Dutch
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Arabic مُنْقِذ
- مُنْقِذ (munqiḏ)lifesaver, expert swimmer rescuer
Basque sorosle
- soroslelifesaver, expert swimmer rescuer
Bulgarian спасител
- спасител (spasitel)lifesaver, expert swimmer rescuer
Catalan socorrista
- socorristalifesaver, expert swimmer rescuer
Chinese Mandarin 救生員 /救生员
- 救生員 /救生员 (jiùshēngyuán)lifesaver, expert swimmer rescuer
Czech plavčík
- plavčíklifesaver, expert swimmer rescuer
Danish redningssvømmer, livredder
- redningssvømmerlifesaver, expert swimmer rescuer
- livredderlifesaver, expert swimmer rescuer
Dutch badmeester, strandmeester
- badmeesterlifesaver, expert swimmer rescuer
- strandmeesterlifesaver, expert swimmer rescuer
- reddingszwemmerlifesaver, expert swimmer rescuer
Esperanto savgardisto
- savgardistolifesaver, expert swimmer rescuer
Estonian vetelpäästja
- vetelpäästjalifesaver, expert swimmer rescuer
Finnish uimavalvoja
- uimavalvojalifesaver, expert swimmer rescuer
French maître-nageur, maître-nageuse
- maître-nageurlifesaver, expert swimmer rescuer
- maître-nageuselifesaver, expert swimmer rescuer
- sauveteurlifesaver, expert swimmer rescuer
- nageur-sauveteurlifesaver, expert swimmer rescuer
German Rettungsschwimmer, Rettungsschwimmerin
- Rettungsschwimmerlifesaver, expert swimmer rescuer
- Rettungsschwimmerinlifesaver, expert swimmer rescuer
- Strandwächterlifesaver, expert swimmer rescuer
- Strandwächterinlifesaver, expert swimmer rescuer
- Bademeisterlifesaver, expert swimmer rescuer
- Bademeisterinlifesaver, expert swimmer rescuer
- Lebensretterlifesaver, expert swimmer rescuer
- Schienenräumerrail transport: metal bracket to deflect small objects
- Bahnräumerrail transport: metal bracket to deflect small objects
Greek ναυαγοσώστης, ναυαγοσώστρια
- ναυαγοσώστης (navagosóstis)lifesaver, expert swimmer rescuer
- ναυαγοσώστρια (navagosóstria)lifesaver, expert swimmer rescuer
Hebrew מציל
- מציל (matzil)lifesaver, expert swimmer rescuer
Irish garda tarrthála
- garda tarrthálalifesaver, expert swimmer rescuer
Italian bagnino
- bagninolifesaver, expert swimmer rescuer
Korean 인명구조원
- 인명구조원 (inmyeonggujowon)lifesaver, expert swimmer rescuer
Māori manapou moana
- manapou moanalifesaver, expert swimmer rescuer
Norwegian livredder
- livredderlifesaver, expert swimmer rescuer
Polish ratownik
- ratowniklifesaver, expert swimmer rescuer
Portuguese salva-vidas, nadador-salvador
- salva-vidaslifesaver, expert swimmer rescuer
- nadador-salvadorlifesaver, expert swimmer rescuer
Romanian salvamar
- salvamarlifesaver, expert swimmer rescuer
Russian спаса́тель, спаса́тельница
- спаса́тель (spasátelʹ)lifesaver, expert swimmer rescuer
- спаса́тельница (spasátelʹnica)lifesaver, expert swimmer rescuer
- спаси́тель (spasítelʹ)lifesaver, expert swimmer rescuer
- спаси́тельница (spasítelʹnica)lifesaver, expert swimmer rescuer
Slovak plavčík, plavčíčka
- plavčíklifesaver, expert swimmer rescuer
- plavčíčkalifesaver, expert swimmer rescuer
- záchranárlifesaver, expert swimmer rescuer
- záchranárkalifesaver, expert swimmer rescuer
Spanish socorrista, guardavidas
- socorristalifesaver, expert swimmer rescuer
- guardavidaslifesaver, expert swimmer rescuer
- bañerolifesaver, expert swimmer rescuer
- salvavidaslifesaver, expert swimmer rescuer
- salvavidasrail transport: metal bracket to deflect small objects
Swedish badvakt
- badvaktlifesaver, expert swimmer rescuer
Turkish cankurtaran
- cankurtaranlifesaver, expert swimmer rescuer
Ukrainian рятува́льник, рятува́льниця
- рятува́льник (rjatuválʹnyk)lifesaver, expert swimmer rescuer
- рятува́льниця (rjatuválʹnycja)lifesaver, expert swimmer rescuer
Cite this entry
lifeguard. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/lifeguard
“lifeguard.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/lifeguard. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “lifeguard,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/lifeguard.
Source: lifeguard on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.