Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

watch and ward

Word Rarity Uncommon

Frequency: Zipf frequency 4.33 in modern English

Syllables: watch and ward
IPA

25

Scrabble Score

12

Letters

1

Syllables

8

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

The charge or care of certain officers to keep a watch by night and a guard by day in towns, cities, and other districts, for the preservation of the public peace.

Uncountable

noun

Uninterrupted vigilance.

Uncountable

verb

To keep constant watch over

Example Sentences

"The narrow seas around these isles, where British admirals keep watch and ward upon the marches of the Atlantic Ocean, are subject to the turbulent sway of the West Wind."
"1917, Lee Wilson Dodd, "To America" (poem), in Fifes and Drums You need A starker breed To cherish you and guard, Keep watch and ward, Or strike if strike they must!"
"we might have been carried in swift safety, and watched and warded by well-paid pointsmen, for half the present fares"

Usage

Uncountable

Inflected Forms

watches and wards (present, singular) watching and warding (participle, present) watched and warded (participle, past) watched and warded (past)

Questions

What does watch and ward mean?: The charge or care of certain officers to keep a watch by night and a guard by day in towns, cities, and other districts, for the preservation of the public peace.

How to pronounce watch and ward

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