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National Guard

American  

noun

  1. state military forces, in part equipped, trained, and quartered by the U.S. government, and paid by the U.S. government, that become an active component of the army when called into federal service by the president in civil emergencies.

National Guard British  

noun

  1. (sometimes not capitals) the armed force, first commanded by Lafayette, that was established in France in 1789 and existed intermittently until 1871

  2. (in the US) a state military force that can be called into federal service by the president

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
National Guard Cultural  

  1. The volunteer military forces of each state, which the governor of a state can summon in times of civil disorder or natural disaster. Through congressional and presidential order, the National Guard can be called into service in the regular United States army.

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The National Guard's Special Immediate Reaction Force blueprinted the operation for the assault on Sunday with both land and air maneuvers.

From Barron's

The Mexican Ministry of Defence said that the raid aimed at capturing El Mencho had been carried out by the Mexican army, with support from the country's National Guard and Air Force.

From BBC

It also contributed to the administration’s quiet withdrawal of National Guard troops from Chicago, Los Angeles and Portland, Ore.

From The Wall Street Journal

The 35-year-old is serving with Ukraine's National Guard and when he returned on leave recently his wife persuaded him to visit a clinic in Kyiv and leave a sperm sample.

From BBC

“I’ll go on into town. There must be some sort of emergency headquarters. The Red Cross or the National Guard or someone must be coordinating rescue efforts.”

From Literature

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.