wards

1. 1
   noun

   Plural of ward.

   Nurses moved between the surgical wards throughout the long night shift.

   The council redrew the electoral wards after the population census.

   Note

   The plural belongs to the countable uses of ward: guards and watchmen in older English, guarding positions taken in a fight, and protective spells, as when a mage sets wards around a camp. The act of watching, as in keep ward, and guardianship as a condition are usually uncountable, so in those meanings the word rarely takes this plural.

2. 2
   verb

   Third-person singular simple present indicative of ward.

   A strong immune system wards off most common infections.

   A heavy curtain wards off the draft from the open window.

   Note

   When the verb means repelling something, it usually takes off: a charm wards off ill luck, and a raised arm wards off a blow. Without off, it means guarding or protecting something. Used with no object, it means keeping watch. The spelling is shared with the noun plural, so a sentry wards the gate while the wizard renews his wards.

   She carries a sprig of rowan that she swears wards off bad luck.

   He wards off each blow with the flat of his shield.

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