Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- noun A guard, especially a soldier posted at a given spot to prevent the passage of unauthorized persons.
- noun The duty of a sentry; watch.
from The Century Dictionary.
- noun Same as
centry , center. - noun A place of watch; a watch-tower.
- noun Watch; guard: same as
sentinel , 1. - noun One stationed as a guard: same as
sentinel , 2. - Acting as a sentry; watching.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- noun (Mil.) A soldier placed on guard; a sentinel.
- noun Guard; watch, as by a sentinel.
- noun a small house or box to cover a sentinel at his post, and shelter him from the weather.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun A
guard , particularly onduty at the entrance to amilitary base . - noun uncountable Sentry duty; time spent being a sentry.
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- noun a person employed to keep watch for some anticipated event
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
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Examples
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It was pitch dark, so I called the sentry and told him some one was hurt.
"The Red Watch" With the First Canadian Division in Flanders John Allister Currie
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In a loud voice he called the sentry who was pacing below; and in a moment the man appeared in answer to that summons.
The Shame of Motley: being the memoir of certain transactions in the life of Lazzaro Biancomonte, of Biancomonte, sometime fool of the court of Pesaro Rafael Sabatini 1912
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"There he go back and forrards, doing what he call his sentry go.
Round the Red Lamp Arthur Conan Doyle 1894
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"There he go back and forrards, doing what he call his sentry go.
Round the Red Lamp Doyle, Arthur Conan, Sir, 1859-1930 1894
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"There he go back and forrards, doing what he call his sentry go.
Round the Red Lamp 1894
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I recalled the sentry's warm blood running over my hands and guiltily, reflexively wiped them on my cloak.
Renegade's Magic Hobb, Robin 2008
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With his "inquisitive mind" and his "failing for romance," the sentry is a fantasy version of the short-sighted poet, who repeatedly tried to enlist during World War I and once almost succeeded by memorizing the eye chart.
Five Best 2008
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The sentry was a husky woman who held the rank of corporal.
Call to Treason Clancy, Tom, 1947- 2004
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Bennett fidgeted with impatience, and suggested calling a sentry to evict the fakir.
Kim 2003
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The sentry was a grenadier; please note the accuracy of detail which should dispel any doubt as to the truth of the story -- the grenadier touch is especially convincing.
From a Terrace in Prague Lieut.-Col. B. Granville Baker
660774855 commented on the word sentry
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sleeping_while_on_duty
July 6, 2010