guardhouse

guardhouse — noun

1. a small structure inside a military compound where soldiers on watch duty stay b

1.nounB2
Definition

a small structure inside a military compound where soldiers on watch duty stay between shifts, where the officer in charge of security does daily work, and where soldiers who break rules are confined for short periods

Example

The sentry stepped out of the guardhouse and checked every vehicle approaching the main gate.

collocation: stepped out of the guardhouse

After the drill, the sergeant told the recruits to go to the guardhouse for duty.

collocation: report to the guardhouse

Common collocations
  • stand guard at the guardhouse
  • report to the guardhouse
  • lock someone in the guardhouse
  • be held in the guardhouse
  • small guardhouse
  • stone guardhouse
  • old guardhouse
  • wooden guardhouse
  • guardhouse window
  • guardhouse door
  • guardhouse cell
Synonyms
  • guardroom

    usually refers to a room within a larger building rather than a standalone structure; less common in modern use

  • sentry box

    a much smaller shelter, often just large enough for one person standing guard; not a full building with offices or cells

  • gatehouse

    a building at the entrance of a property or camp that may serve a similar purpose but is not exclusively military

Usage Note

Since the mid-20th century the word has become less common in everyday English; terms such as 'gatehouse' or 'security building' are often used for modern military structures. The detention function of a guardhouse is for short-term holding only — not a permanent military prison.

Common Mistakes

The soldier was sent to the guardhouse for three years.
The soldier was sent to the military prison for three years.
A guardhouse is for short-term detention (hours or a few days), not long-term imprisonment.

Word family

  • guard
    nounB1
  • guard
    verbB2
  • guarded
    adjectiveC1
  • guardsman
    nounB2
  • gatehouse
    nounC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Guardhouse, gatehouse, sentry box, and guardroom all refer to structures used by people on watch, but they differ in size, function, and setting. A guardhouse is a small standalone building at a military camp that combines guard duty with short-term detention and office space. A gatehouse is similar but is primarily the entrance building to any large property — it may or may not house guards, and its detention function is rare. A sentry box is tiny: a booth just large enough for one soldier standing post; it has no office or cell. A guardroom is a room inside a barracks or fort rather than a separate building. For example, a soldier stepping out of a guardhouse to check vehicles could not fit that scene in a sentry box; and reporting for a duty assignment would happen in a guardhouse or guardroom, not at a gatehouse.

guardhouse ↗gatehousesentry boxguardroom

Common collocations

Nouns

  • guardhouse door
  • guardhouse window
  • guardhouse cell
  • guardhouse commander
  • guardhouse duty

Phrases

  • report to the guardhouse
  • stand guard at the guardhouse
  • be locked in the guardhouse
  • be held in the guardhouse
  • guard the guardhouse

Prepositions

  • at the guardhouse
  • in the guardhouse
  • to the guardhouse
  • from the guardhouse
  • inside the guardhouse

Etymology

Old FrenchOld EnglishEnglish

Formed by combining the noun 'guard' (from Old French garde, meaning 'watch, protection, custody') with 'house' (from Old English hūs, meaning 'dwelling, shelter'). The compound has been used since the 16th century to refer to a building where soldiers on watch are stationed.