Meaning of watch and ward | Babel Free

Definitions

1. The charge or care of certain officers to keep a watch by night and a guard by day in towns, cities, and other districts, for the preservation of the public peace.
   historical, uncountable
2. Uninterrupted vigilance.
   broadly, uncountable

Examples

“The narrow seas around these isles, where British admirals keep watch and ward upon the marches of the Atlantic Ocean, are subject to the turbulent sway of the West Wind.”

“1917, Lee Wilson Dodd, "To America" (poem), in Fifes and Drums You need A starker breed To cherish you and guard, Keep watch and ward, Or strike if strike they must!”

CEFR level