sentry Hear it!

sentry Definition

sen·try (sentrē)

noun pl. -·tries

  1. a sentinel; esp., any of the men of a military guard posted to guard against, and warn of, danger
  2. Now Rare guard or watch to keep sentry

Etymology: < ? obs. centrinell, var. of sentinel

sentry Synonyms

sentry

n.

sentry Usage Examples

Converse of object

  • stand: A church of silent air rings loud today; hymn books stand sentry by the doors, orders of service behind them.
  • post: Ever vigilant, Tony has posted sentries to look out for rival gangs or the rozzers.
  • see: All went well until we saw a sentry on the road.
  • say: So I wonder how you would say sentry go in the past tense?
  • pass: I made directly for this ' haven ' but had to pass the sentry at the gateway.

Preposition: at

  • gate: It is deserted apart from American sentries at the gate.

Converse of subject

  • guard: From there we came out into the Kremlin, a city within a city, every entrance guarded by sentries who checked our passes.

Adjective modifier

  • armed: A Guard hut was located just inside the field, and armed sentries patrolled the site to prevent any unauthorized access.
  • western: Stream usually for places to start of western sentry.
  • German: They all believed that London had been captured, and that German sentries were outside Buckingham Palace.

Preposition: on

  • duty: A possible cause for that disaster was the fact that the sentry on duty in Lebanon did not have a magazine in his M16.
  • guard: They were very funny because they were all standing on their hind legs like sentries on guard!
  • gate: It was a proud moment for me when I mounted my first sentry on the front gates of Buckingham Palace.

Modifies a noun

  • gun: The last sentry gun at the top of the steps on the opposite side of the room is not a problem.
  • duty: He wound up on an IV drip, simply for falling asleep on sentry duty.
  • box: Each conductor was provided with a sentry box in which to sit whilst he was waiting for a fire call.
  • post: However within minutes the pair walk straight into a German Sentry post.
  • insurance: A vital role by fire power coming here as well and sentry insurance.
  • line: They walked 15ft across the sentry line at the entrance to a US military base near Harrogate.

Noun used with modifier

  • night: The first night we established the night sentry routine.
sentry Quotes

Most English talk is a quadrille in a sentry box.

—James, Henry

My soul, there is a country Far beyond the stars, Where stands a winge'  d sentry All skilful in the wars;

—Vaughan, Henry