sentry

American  

[sen-tree] / ˈsɛn tri /

noun

• sentries
  plural

1. 

   a soldier stationed at a place to stand guard and prevent the passage of unauthorized persons, watch for fires, etc., especially a sentinel stationed at a pass, gate, opening in a defense work, or the like.

2. a member of a guard or watch.

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sentry British  

/ ˈsɛntrɪ /

noun

1. a soldier who guards or prevents unauthorized access to a place, keeps watch for danger, etc

2. the watch kept by a sentry

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• sentries
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of sentry

1605–15; short for sentrinel, variant of sentinel

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Explanation

A sentry is someone who stands guard or watches against some intrusion or unwelcome activity. Your dog stands sentry over your house, but he would be more effective if he barked at strangers instead of licking their hands. The noun sentry came from the French sentinelle, which has a similar meaning. It was in the 17th century that the word was first associated with someone on a watchtower as a military guard. You could only enter the dreaded ice fortress after sneaking past the sentry posted outside. Don't let his button eyes and carrot nose fool you — he's a sharp one!

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

sentry sentries

Soon, I was bicycling to Harris Teeter for cornbread ingredients, where Harry the Happy Dragon — a coin-operated green kiddie ride — stood sentry outside the entrance.

From Salon ● Oct. 28, 2026

Standing sentry, bizarrely, were tall, cartoonish statues — half storm troopers, half USC Trojans.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026

An outpost for 30 soldiers with a couple of sentry points and barracks will burn through about 13 gallons of fuel a day.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 25, 2025

Barcelona stretched out in every direction, a mosaic of old stone, glass and spire, Gaudí’s Sagrada Familia standing like an undone sentry among the rest.

From Salon ● Dec. 6, 2025

During the afternoon of the following day, while the Off Fore Mark were at silflay, he came limping through the sentry line with a straggling handful of six or seven rabbits.

From "Watership Down: A Novel" by Richard Adams

Immune cells act like vigilant sentries, moving through tissues and detecting remaining cancer cells that could lead to relapse.

From Science Daily ● Nov. 21, 2025

The blimps housed there were used as sentries during WWII, armed with machine guns, bombs and charges to fend off submarines, The Times reported.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 7, 2023

Wing Commander Douglas Bader ranked as the greatest war hero in the prison and was met on arrival with salutes from German sentries.

From Washington Post ● Sep. 26, 2022

A worker addressing his crew lined up like sentries added drawings of the popular Olympics mascot Bing Dwen Dwen to the back of a suit.

From Seattle Times ● Feb. 20, 2022

Woundwort told Campion to post sentries and keep a patrol round about, while Vervain and Groundsel tackled the blocked holes.

From "Watership Down: A Novel" by Richard Adams

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Related Words

• sentinel

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