guard duty

noun

1. a military assignment involving watching over or protecting a person or place or supervising prisoners.

Word History and Origins

Origin of guard duty¹

First recorded in 1890–95

Example Sentences

His soaring dunks and acrobatic layups play perfectly as trending videos on social media, but he doesn’t chase highlights at his team’s expense or shirk his point guard duties.

From Washington Post

Lopez was on his way to relieve a buddy on guard duty when his friend Charlie Stewart picked up the revolvers and started to twirl them like the Hollywood cowboys.

From Time

Bergdahl was relieved from guard duty, and instead of going to sleep, he fled the outpost on foot.

From The Daily Beast

Not surprisingly, many business connections are made during the long hours of operations, guard duty, and training.

From The Daily Beast

Consequently some of the regular regiments who had been doing guard duty in the capital were despatched to the front.

From Project Gutenberg

It so happened that the day he visited us, I was performing guard duty around the camp.

From Project Gutenberg

But what he didn't know about guard duty was hardly worth knowing.

From Project Gutenberg

The remainder were in reserve, or on guard duty at various points.

From Project Gutenberg

I learned quite lately that he was not dead, but that his company was doing guard duty at this place.

From Project Gutenberg