garde
/ɡaʁd/feminine, masculine
In French, the word for 'guard' is garde.
garde is a noun referring to a person or a thing that protects something. It can also be used in compound nouns, such as garde-malade, which refers to a person who looks after a sick person. The related verb garder means to protect something from some offence.
Meaning: person who or thing that protects something (noun)
Which one should you use?
While garde refers to the person or thing performing the act of guarding, gardien is more commonly used for a person who looks after a building or property, such as a caretaker. If you are referring to a guard stationed at a specific post for surveillance, the formal term sentinelle is used.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The word garde can be both masculine and feminine. However, when referring to the abstract concept of 'the guard' (as in the phrase 'letting one's guard down'), use the feminine form la garde.
How do you pronounce it?
/ɡaʁd/
When do people say it?
To describe the act of performing guard duty, you can use the idiom faire la garde.
Did you know?
- The word garde is used in the term garde-fou, which refers to a guardrail or a safety mechanism to prevent a fall.
- In French, the term garde-robe literally means 'guard-clothes', which is how the language refers to a wardrobe.
- The expression en garde is used globally in fencing, regardless of the language of the speaker, to signal a state of readiness.
Examples in context
- Le garde est mort.The guard is dead.This sentence shows how to use garde to describe a person.Tatoeba #7967002 by Aiji, translation #3721402 by CM
- Il n'y a aucun garde.There's no guard.This sentence demonstrates the use of garde in a negative context.Tatoeba #3648734 by sacredceltic, translation #3360533 by CK
- J'ai baissé ma garde.I let my guard down.This sentence illustrates the use of the abstract feminine concept garde.Tatoeba #10666645 by Aiji, translation #3725885 by CM
- garde de sécuritéSecurity guard
- gardien de prisonPrison guard
- garde du corpsBodyguard
- vigile de nuitNight guard
- vigile de centre commercialShopping mall guard
- Je suis un garde de sécurité dans une banque.I am a security guard at a bank.
- La gardienne de prison surveille les détenus.The prison guard is watching over the inmates.
- Le vigile de nuit assure la sécurité de l'hôtel.The night guard ensures the hotel's security.
- 27 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Chloé and Gabriel are standing outside a closed museum.
- GabrielOù est le garde ?Where is the guard?
- ChloéIl est à la porte.He is at the door.
- GabrielEst-ce qu'il est gentil ?Is he kind?
- ChloéOui, ce garde est très sympa.Yes, this guard is very nice.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “guard” translations and entries garde, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
