Guard or guards may refer to:

Professional occupations

* Bodyguard, who protects an individual from personal assault *

Crossing guard A crossing guard (North American English), lollipop man/lady (British, Irish, and Australian English), crosswalk attendant (also Australian English), or school road patrol (New Zealand English) is a traffic management personnel who is normally ...

, who stops traffic so pedestrians can cross the street * Lifeguard, who rescues people from drowning *

Prison guard A prison officer or corrections officer is a Uniformed services, uniformed law enforcement official responsible for the custody, supervision, safety, and regulation of prisoners. They are responsible for the care, custody, and control of individ ...

, who supervises prisoners in a prison or jail *

Security guard A security guard (also known as a security inspector, security officer, or protective agent) is a person employed by a government or private party to protect the employing party's assets (property, people, equipment, money, etc.) from a variety ...

, who protects property, assets, or people * Conductor (rail) § Train guard, in the UK, Australia, New Zealand, and India

Computing and telecommunications

Guard (computer science) In computer programming, a guard is a boolean expression that must evaluate to true if the program execution is to continue in the branch in question. Regardless of which programming language is used, a guard clause, guard code, or guard stateme ...

, in programming language, an expression that directs program execution *

Guard (information security) In information security, a guard is a device or system for allowing computers on otherwise separate networks to communicate, subject to configured constraints. In many respects a guard is like a firewall and guards may have similar functionality ...

, a device for controlling communication between computer networks * Guard interval, intervals in transmission, used in telecommunications * Aircraft emergency frequency, commonly referred to as "guard"

Governmental and military

* Border guard, a state security agency *

Coast guard A coast guard or coastguard is a maritime security organization of a particular country. The term embraces wide range of responsibilities in different countries, from being a heavily armed military force with customs and security duties to ...

, responsible for coastal defence and offshore rescue *

Colour guard In military organizations, a colour guard (or color guard) is a detachment of soldiers assigned to the protection of regimental colours and the national flag. This duty is so prestigious that the military colour is generally carried by a young ...

, a detachment of soldiers assigned to the protection of regimental colors *

Commander-in-Chief's Guard The Commander-in-Chief's Guard, commonly known as Washington's Life Guard, was a unit of the Continental Army that protected General George Washington during the American Revolutionary War. Formed in 1776, the Guard was with Washington in all o ...

, a unit of the Continental Army that protected General George Washington * Foot guards, a senior infantry unit in some armies, often with ceremonial duties *

Garda Síochána (; meaning "the Guardian(s) of the Peace"), more commonly referred to as the Gardaí (; "Guardians") or "the Guards", is the national police service of Ireland. The service is headed by the Garda Commissioner who is appointed by the Irish Gover ...

, Irish police force informally known as Guards * Guard of honour, primarily ceremonial *

Guards (Russia) Guards (russian: гвардия) or Guards units (russian: гвардейские части, ''gvardeyskiye chasti'') were elite military units of Imperial Russia prior to 1917–18. The designation of Guards was subsequently adopted as a distin ...

, elite military in pre-revolutionary Russia *

Guards unit Guards units (russian: Гвардия, translit=Gvardiya) were elite units and formations in the Soviet Armed Forces that continue to exist in the Russian Armed Forces and other post-Soviet states. These units were awarded Guards status after di ...

, a title earned by distinguished units in the former Soviet Union and in some contemporary ex-Soviet states *

Police The police are a constituted body of persons empowered by a state, with the aim to enforce the law, to ensure the safety, health and possessions of citizens, and to prevent crime and civil disorder. Their lawful powers include arrest and t ...

in medieval contexts *

Royal Guard A royal guard is a group of military bodyguards, soldiers or armed retainers responsible for the protection of a royal person, such as the emperor or empress, king or queen, or prince or princess. They often are an elite unit of the regular arm ...

, military bodyguards, soldiers or armed retainers responsible for the protection of a royal person, often an elite unit of the regular armed forces.

Sports

* Guard (gridiron football), a player between the center and the tackles on the offensive line *

Guard (basketball) In the sport of basketball, there are five players play per team, each assigned to positions. Historically, these players have been assigned, to positions defined by the role they play on the court, from a strategic point of view. The three main ...

Point guard The point guard (PG), also called the one or the point, is one of the five Basketball positions, positions in a regulation basketball game. A point guard has perhaps the most specialized role of any position. Point guards are expected to run t ...

, or "playmaker" **

Shooting guard The shooting guard (SG), also known as the two, two guard or off guard,Shooting guards are 6'3"–6'7"BBC Sports academy URL last accessed 2006-09-09. is one of the five traditional positions in a regulation basketball game. A shooting guard's m ...

, or "off guard" **

Combo guard A combo guard is a basketball player who combines the attributes of a point guard (1) and shooting guard (2), but does not necessarily fit the standard description of either position. In men's basketball, such guards are usually within the 6' 3" ...

, combining both point and shooting guard *

Guard (grappling) The guard is a ground grappling position in which one combatant has their back to the ground while attempting to control the other combatant using their legs. In pure grappling combat sports, the guard is considered an advantageous position, ...

, a position in martial arts * Color guard (flag spinning), people who toss flags, spin a rifle and a saber at performances with a marching band *

Winter guard Winter guard (sometimes spelled "winterguard") is an indoor color guard sport and performance art derived from military ceremonies. Modern winter guard is a competitive, performance-based activity which incorporates choreographed staging, dance, ...

, people who spin and toss flags, rifles, and/or sabers at indoor performances on a tarp

Other uses

Guard (surname) Guard is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: *Christopher Guard (born 1953), English actor * Dave Guard (1934–1991), American folk singer and songwriter, founding member of The Kingston Trio *Dominic Guard (born 1956), English act ...

Guards (band) Guards are an American three piece rock band. They consist of Richie Follin, Loren Humphrey, and Kaylie Church. They released their debut album, ''In Guards We Trust'', in February 2013. History 2010: Formation Guards formed in New York City ...

, an American rock band *

Guards (steamboat) Guards on a steamboat were extensions of the main deck out from the boat’s main hull. Guards were originally adopted for side-wheel steamboats to protect the paddle wheels and to provide a mounting point for the outer ends of the paddle wheel sh ...

Guard (weapon) The hilt (rarely called a haft or shaft) of a knife, dagger, sword, or bayonet is its handle, consisting of a guard, grip and pommel. The guard may contain a crossguard or quillons. A tassel or sword knot may be attached to the guard or pommel ...

, part of the handle of a sword designed to stop the user's hand from slipping onto the blade *

Guard dog A guard dog or watchdog (not to be confused with an attack dog) is a dog used to watch for and guard property against unwanted or unexpected human or animal intruders. The dog is discerning so that it does not annoy or attack the resident hum ...

guard llama A guard llama is a llama that is used in farming to protect sheep, goats, hens or other livestock from canidae such as coyotes, wolves, dingos, dogs, foxes and other predators. In the past, a single gelded (castrated) male was recommended. In m ...

s and guard geese, animals employed to watch for unwanted or unexpected animals or people *

Abdominal guarding Abdominal guarding is the tensing of the abdominal wall muscles to guard inflamed organs within the abdomen from the pain of pressure upon them. The tensing is detected when the abdominal wall is pressed. Abdominal guarding is also known as défens ...

, in medicine, the tensing of the abdominal wall muscles to guard inflamed organs *

Mate guarding In biology, mating is the pairing of either opposite- sex or hermaphroditic organisms for the purposes of sexual reproduction. ''Fertilization'' is the fusion of two gametes. ''Copulation'' is the union of the sex organs of two sexually reprodu ...

, guarding of a potential or former mate from other individuals * Mouthguard, a protective device for the mouth * ''Wächter'' (Anatol) (''Guards''), several monumental sculptures by Anatol Herzfeld

Professional occupations

Computing and telecommunications

Governmental and military

Sports

Other uses

See also