Meanings
- In a watchful state; alert; vigilant.
Be on your guard against pickpockets in the railway station.
1 more example
One had to be on one's guard when thus confronted and, in the course of my numerous meetings with him, I had on occasion to exercise all my wits and be prepared at a moment's notice to parry a very awkward question, to which I would much rather have given a considered reply.
1944 March and April, Chas. S. Lake, “Some C.M.Es. I Have Known: VIII—Sir H. N. Gresley”, in Railway Magazine, page 74Synonyms: on the alert
Synonyms & antonyms
prepositional phraseIn a watchful state; alert; vigilant.
More synonyms by meaning
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Translations
Finnish varuillaan
- varuillaanto be vigilant
French sur ses gardes
- sur ses gardesto be vigilant
Māori tauwhiro, ohiti
- tauwhiroto be vigilant
- ohitito be vigilant
- ohituto be vigilant
Swedish vara på sin vakt
- vara på sin vaktto be vigilant
Cite this entry
on one's guard. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/on%20one's%20guard
“on one's guard.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/on%20one's%20guard. Accessed November 5, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “on one's guard,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/on%20one's%20guard.
Source: on one's guard on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.