bodyguards

IPA/ˈbɒd.i.ɡɑːd/
KK[bˈɑdiɡˌɑrdz]IPA/ˈbɑː.di.ɡɑːrd/

bodyguards — noun

  • bodyguardssingular
  • bodyguardsesplural

1. people who are paid to stay close to an important or famous person and keep them

1.nounB1
Definition

people who are paid to stay close to an important or famous person and keep them safe from harm or attack

Example

Two bodyguards stood beside the singer as she signed albums for her fans.

subject role: bodyguards guarding a famous person

The president travels everywhere with bodyguards who watch the crowd for danger.

collocation: travel with bodyguards

Common collocations
  • personal bodyguards
  • armed bodyguards
  • hire bodyguards
  • surrounded by bodyguards
Synonyms
  • minders

    informal British term for people who guard or watch over someone

  • guards

    broader; can protect a place or thing, not only a person

  • escorts

    focus on travelling alongside someone rather than fighting off attack

Grammar Patterns

bodyguards for + person

[number] + bodyguards

Usage Note

Almost always plural or treated as a team around one protected person; the singular 'bodyguard' refers to a single such worker.

Common Mistakes

The star has many security.
The star has many bodyguards.
'security' is uncountable, so for the individual people you count 'bodyguards'.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

All four words describe people who protect others, but they differ in scope and tone. 'Bodyguards' are paid to stay physically close to one important person and stop any attack on that person. 'Minders' is an informal British word for people who watch over and protect someone, sometimes with a sense of controlling where that person goes. 'Escorts' travel alongside someone for safety or company, but the focus is on accompanying rather than fighting off danger. 'Guards' is the widest word: it can mean people who protect a building, a prisoner, or a border, not only a person. So you say armed bodyguards for a film star, but security guards at a bank entrance.

bodyguards ↗mindersescorts ↗guards ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • personal bodyguards
  • armed bodyguards
  • former bodyguards

Phrases

  • hire bodyguards
  • a team of bodyguards

Prepositions

  • surrounded by bodyguards
  • protected by bodyguards

Etymology

Old EnglishFrenchEnglish

This word joins 'body', meaning a person's physical form, with 'guard', someone who keeps watch and protects. Together they name a guard who stays right next to a person's body to keep them safe. The compound has been used in English since the 1700s, first for the soldiers who protected a ruler.

First known use

1701

1701, in the meaning defined above