1
as in defenses
means or method of defending frequent hand washing is an oft-recommended ward against the spread of common germs
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Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in custodies
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 protects
to drive danger or attack away from vowed that he would take whatever measures were necessary to ward the nation's people
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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 wards
Torie Bosch, STAT, 11 Apr. 2026 Rebecca Loroff After the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh-Fox Cities campus closed in June 2025, residents in wards 5 and 7 in Menasha needed a new place to go vote. —Hope Karnopp, jsonline.com, 8 Apr. 2026 Incumbents maintained their seats in the three other wards. —Jenna Ebbers, Kansas City Star, 8 Apr. 2026 Parts of Third and Fourth wards have long since been recast as Midtown or Museum Park. —Ryan Nickerson, Houston Chronicle, 4 Apr. 2026 The lots span 25 wards and are valued at $34 million, his administration said in a statement. —Jake Sheridan, Chicago Tribune, 2 Apr. 2026 Babies sick with the virus were forcibly separated from their parents and piled into cribs in crowded wards. —Michael Schuman, The Atlantic, 1 Apr. 2026 In Chile, Yopo Díaz says, there is increasing discussion about the closure of maternity wards due to lower demand. —Manuela Castro, CNN Money, 31 Mar. 2026 Bedreldin Abduelnabi, who heads the activities of the humanitarian health care provider Alight in East Darfur and West Kordofan, said the strike damaged all of the hospital's wards, including emergency, medicine, surgery, pediatrics, obstetrics and gynecology, and renal dialysis. —Arkansas Online, 26 Mar. 2026
Noun
In fact, spending an overnight in the ED rather than the wards may increase the risk of death. —Torie Bosch, STAT, 11 Apr. 2026 Rebecca Loroff After the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh-Fox Cities campus closed in June 2025, residents in wards 5 and 7 in Menasha needed a new place to go vote. —Hope Karnopp, jsonline.com, 8 Apr. 2026 Incumbents maintained their seats in the three other wards. —Jenna Ebbers, Kansas City Star, 8 Apr. 2026 Parts of Third and Fourth wards have long since been recast as Midtown or Museum Park. —Ryan Nickerson, Houston Chronicle, 4 Apr. 2026 The lots span 25 wards and are valued at $34 million, his administration said in a statement. —Jake Sheridan, Chicago Tribune, 2 Apr. 2026 Babies sick with the virus were forcibly separated from their parents and piled into cribs in crowded wards. —Michael Schuman, The Atlantic, 1 Apr. 2026 In Chile, Yopo Díaz says, there is increasing discussion about the closure of maternity wards due to lower demand. —Manuela Castro, CNN Money, 31 Mar. 2026 Bedreldin Abduelnabi, who heads the activities of the humanitarian health care provider Alight in East Darfur and West Kordofan, said the strike damaged all of the hospital's wards, including emergency, medicine, surgery, pediatrics, obstetrics and gynecology, and renal dialysis. —Arkansas Online, 26 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for wards
Noun
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The team responsible for testing the nation’s security defenses was among those pushed out.— Sue Halpern, New Yorker, 24 Apr. 2026
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Companies need to keep that distinction in mind when evaluating their tools and defenses.— Sharon Goldman, Fortune, 23 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The First Amendment protects the press precisely because a free press protects democracy.— Julian Baron, Baltimore Sun, 19 Apr. 2026
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But unionized workers aren’t the only ones Gloria protects.— U T Editorial Board, San Diego Union-Tribune, 18 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Taken together, investigators suggest the crash was not caused by a single error, but by a breakdown across multiple safeguards — including human decision-making, communication clarity and technological support systems.— Greg Wehner, FOXNews.com, 23 Apr. 2026
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Without proper safeguards, rainfall and water irrigation flow easily into groundwater and into wells, while also spilling into rivers and streams that feed into public water systems.— Sandee LaMotte, CNN Money, 23 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Beets and garlic have similar care requirements, so keeping them together in the garden is not only easy but sensible.— Lauren Landers, Better Homes & Gardens, 21 Apr. 2026
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But Farrell insists that the fees reflect care and determination.— Julian Lucas, New Yorker, 20 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The water-resistant outer material guards your essentials against splashes, while elastic straps and multiple pockets help keep your bottles upright.— Chaise Sanders, Travel + Leisure, 15 Apr. 2026
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In 2019, the height of the rebuild, the Dolphins, who finished 5-11, started five rookies — wide receiver Preston Williams, guards Deiter and Shaq Calhoun, defensive end Wilkins and cornerback Nik Needham.— Chris Perkins, Sun Sentinel, 15 Apr. 2026
Noun
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The tour ends at the Scar Trees, which are a group of trees that had their bark removed by Aboriginal Peoples for various purposes, including crafting items like canoes or shields.— Helen Murphy, PEOPLE, 16 Apr. 2026
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The midnight purple color-shifting material was designed to replicate the iridescence of a raven's feathers, which is woven across the jerseys, including the number set and shields on each sleeve.— Adam Thompson, CBS News, 16 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Football has traditionally been a conduit for protests in Iran, with the national team refusing to sing the anthem on several occasions over recent decades, including during the 2009 Green Movement and after the death of Mahsa Amini at the hands of the morality police in 2022.— Jacob Whitehead, New York Times, 21 Apr. 2026
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The Norwegian had just scored the winning goal in his team’s 2-1 victory against title rival Arsenal, a result which puts the fate of the trophy in City’s hands with just five matches left to play.— Ben Church, CNN Money, 20 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Matriarchy is a force that protects and defends, a force blunted and downgraded at every turn.— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 21 Apr. 2026
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This support among white Christian voters has held since the 2024 election, with two-thirds of white evangelicals saying Trump defends people with religious beliefs similar to theirs, according to a Pew poll released Thursday.— Sarah Davis, The Hill, 16 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Wards.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.grautoblog.com/thesaurus/wards. Accessed 25 Apr. 2026.
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