a division or district of a city or town, as for administrative or political purposes.
one of the districts into which certain English and Scottish boroughs are divided.
a division, floor, or room of a hospital for a particular class or group of patients: a convalescent ward; a critical ward.
any of the separate divisions of a prison.
a political subdivision of a parish in Louisiana.
Mormon Church. one of the subdivisions of a stake, presided over by a bishop.
Fortification. an open space within or between the walls of a castle or fortified place: the castle's lower ward.
Law.
a person, especially a minor, who has been legally placed under the care of a guardian or a court.
the state of being under the care or control of a legal guardian.
guardianship over a minor or some other person legally incapable of managing his or her own affairs.
the state of being under restraining guard or in custody.
a person who is under the protection or control of another.
a movement or posture of defense, as in fencing.
a curved ridge of metal inside a lock, forming an obstacle to the passage of a key that does not have a corresponding notch.
the notch or slot in the bit of a key into which such a ridge fits.
the act of keeping guard or protective watch: watch and ward.
Archaic. a company of guards or a garrison.
verb (used with object)
to avert, repel, or turn aside (danger, harm, an attack, an assailant, etc.) (usually followed by off): to ward off a blow; to ward off evil.
to place in a ward, as of a hospital or prison.
Archaic. to protect; guard.
Origin of ward
before 900; (noun) Middle English warde,Old English weard; (v.) Middle English warden,Old English weardian; cognate with Middle Dutch waerden,German warten;cf. guard
SYNONYMS FOR ward
1 precinct.
10 protégé.
16 parry, prevent.
SEE SYNONYMS FOR ward ON THESAURUS.COM
OTHER WORDS FROM ward
wardless,adjective
Definition for ward (2 of 3)
Ward
[ wawrd ]
/ wɔrd /
noun
(Aaron) Montgomery, 1843–1913, U.S. merchant and mail-order retailer.
Ar·te·mas[ahr-tuh-muhs], /ˈɑr tə məs/, 1727–1800, American general in the American Revolution.
Ar·te·mus[ahr-tuh-muhs], /ˈɑr tə məs/, Charles Farrar Browne, 1834–67, U.S. humorist.
BarbaraBaroness Jackson of Lodsworth, 1914–81, English economist and author.
Mrs. HumphryMary Augusta Arnold, 1851–1920, English novelist, born in Tasmania.
Sir Joseph George, 1856–1930, New Zealand statesman, born in Australia: prime minister 1906–12, 1928–30.
Lester Frank, 1841–1913, U.S. sociologist.
Nathaniel"Theodore de la Guard", 1578?–1652, English clergyman, lawyer, and author in America.
a male given name.
Definition for ward (3 of 3)
-ward
a native English suffix denoting spatial or temporal direction, as specified by the initial element: toward; seaward; afterward; backward.
Also -wards.
Origin of -ward
Middle English; Old English -weard towards; cognate with German -wärts; akin to Latin vertere to turn (see verse)
usage note for -ward
Both -ward and -wards occur in such words as backward, forward, upward, and toward. The -ward form is by far the more common in edited American English writing.
(in many countries) a district into which a city, town, parish, or other area is divided for administration, election of representatives, etc
a room in a hospital, esp one for patients requiring similar kinds of carea maternity ward
one of the divisions of a prison
an open space enclosed within the walls of a castle
law
Also called: ward of courta person, esp a minor or one legally incapable of managing his own affairs, placed under the control or protection of a guardian or of a court
guardianship, as of a minor or legally incompetent person
the state of being under guard or in custody
a person who is under the protection or in the custody of another
a means of protection
an internal ridge or bar in a lock that prevents an incorrectly cut key from turning
a corresponding groove cut in a key
a less common word for warden 1
verb
(tr)archaicto guard or protect
See also ward off
Derived forms of ward
wardless, adjective
Word Origin for ward
Old English weard protector; related to Old High German wart, Old Saxon ward, Old Norse vorthr. See guard
British Dictionary definitions for ward (2 of 3)
Ward
/ (wɔːd) /
noun
Dame Barbara (Mary), Baroness Jackson. 1914–81, British economist, environmentalist, and writer. Her books include Spaceship Earth (1966)
Mrs Humphry, married name of Mary Augusta Arnold. 1851–1920, English novelist. Her novels include Robert Elsmere (1888) and The Case of Richard Meynell (1911)
Sir Joseph George. 1856–1930, New Zealand statesman; prime minister of New Zealand (1906–12; 1928–30)
British Dictionary definitions for ward (3 of 3)
-ward
suffix
(forming adjectives)indicating direction towardsa backward step; heavenward progress
(forming adverbs) a variant and the usual US and Canadian form of -wards