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sentinel

SEN-ti-nuhl/ˈsɛn.tɪ.nəl/

Pluralsentinels

7 meanings of sentinel

Practice

  1. 1
    guard (person)nouncountable
    A person who stands guard and keeps watch.

    A sentinel stood at the gate all night.

    The sentinels saw the riders coming and rang the bell.

    UsageOften in stand sentinel. In everyday English, guard is more common.

    Similarsentry, guard, lookout, watchman

    Note
  2. 2
    health warningnounbefore a noun
    Used before a word to describe something that warns of a health danger, like a disease.

    The farm keeps sentinel animals to check for disease in the area.

    Doctors watch for sentinel signs that a new drug is causing harm.

    Note
  3. 3
    lowest ranknounobsolete
    An ordinary soldier who is not an officer.
    “I will not permit the poorest centinel to be treated with injustice.”
    1789, John Moore, ZelucoHere, centinel means a private soldier, one of the lowest rank.
    Note

Practice

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Origin

From French sentinelle, from Italian, and probably in the end from Latin sentio, "to feel, perceive".

Checked 1 Nov 2026 · 3 facts