Guard

Guard or guards may refer to:

Professional occupations

 * Bodyguard, who protects an individual from personal assault
 * Crossing guard, who stops traffic so pedestrians can cross the street
 * Lifeguard, who rescues people from drowning
 * Prison guard, who supervises prisoners in a prison or jail
 * Security guard, who protects property, assets, or people
 * Conductor (rail) § Train guard, in the UK, Australia, New Zealand, and India

Computing and telecommunications

 * Guard (computer science), in programming language, an expression that directs program execution
 * Guard (information security), a device for controlling communication between computer networks
 * Guard interval, intervals in transmission, used in telecommunications
 * Aircraft emergency frequency, commonly referred to as "guard"

Governmental and military

 * Border guard, a state security agency
 * Coast guard, responsible for coastal defence and offshore rescue
 * Colour guard, a detachment of soldiers assigned to the protection of regimental colors
 * Commander-in-Chief's Guard, a unit of the Continental Army that protected General George Washington
 * Foot guards, a senior infantry unit in some armies, often with ceremonial duties
 * Garda Síochána, Irish police force informally known as Guards
 * Guard of honour, primarily ceremonial
 * Guards (Russia), elite military in pre-revolutionary Russia
 * Guards unit, a title earned by distinguished units in the former Soviet Union and in some contemporary ex-Soviet states
 * Police in medieval contexts
 * Royal Guard, military bodyguards, soldiers or armed retainers responsible for the protection of a royal person, often an elite unit of the regular armed forces.

Sports

 * Guard (gridiron football), a player between the center and the tackles on the offensive line
 * Guard (basketball)
 * Point guard, or "playmaker"
 * Shooting guard, or "off guard"
 * Combo guard, combining both point and shooting guard
 * Guard (grappling), a position in martial arts
 * Color guard (flag spinning), people who toss flags, spin a rifle and a saber at performances with a marching band
 * Winter guard, people who spin and toss flags, rifles, and/or sabers at indoor performances on a tarp

Other uses

 * Guard (surname)
 * Guards (band), an American rock band
 * Guards (steamboat)
 * Guard (weapon), part of the handle of a sword designed to protect the user's hand
 * Guard (knife), finger protection barrier between the handle and the blade
 * Guard dogs, guard llamas and guard geese, animals employed to watch for unwanted or unexpected animals or people
 * Abdominal guarding, in medicine, the tensing of the abdominal wall muscles to guard inflamed organs
 * Mate guarding, guarding of a potential or former mate from other individuals
 * Mouthguard, a protective device for the mouth
 * Wächter (Anatol) (Guards), several monumental sculptures by Anatol Herzfeld