warden

noun

ˈwȯr-dᵊn How to pronounce warden (audio)
Definition of wardennext
1
as in custodian
a person or group that watches over someone or something in his role as warden of the school, a principal must provide a safe environment for the students

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance
2
as in keeper
a person who takes care of a property sometimes for an absent owner served as warden for the country estate

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of warden Luckily — or maybe unluckily — the camp’s warden, a hardbitten guy with an oily smile named Clancy (Russell Crowe, hardbitten, smiley, and oily), takes a liking to Murphy. — David Fear, Rolling Stone, 16 Sep. 2026 According to the post, Kentucky State Police Aviation saw smoke in the area, and wardens and search and rescue personnel were able to access the location, near the headwaters of Cave Run Lake, using a boat. — Caroline Neal, Louisville Courier Journal, 11 Sep. 2026 Game wardens did arrest nine people across Georgia for boating under the influence, the majority of whom were at Lake Lanier. — Dan Raby, CBS News, 8 Sep. 2026 The wardens decided to leave the area and attempt to make the arrest on another day. — David Zeug, Outdoor Life, 3 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for warden
Recent Examples of Synonyms for warden
  1. custodian
  2. keeper
  3. guardian
  4. janitor
  5. guard
  6. caretaker
  7. warder
Noun
  • Some of the firm’s most successful investments included decentralized exchange Uniswap and crypto custodian Anchorage Digital.
    — Camila Grigera Naón, Fortune, 22 Oct. 2026
  • She’s worked as an evidence custodian, and then as a deputy, and has served in a variety of roles, like as a detective, crime scene evidence technician and field training officer.
    — Molly Morrow, Chicago Tribune, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of custodian
Noun
  • But just as meaningful - if not more so - is witnessing the increasing volume of players who seem like keepers.
    — Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 26 Oct. 2026
  • Then the Wildcats raced down the field on only five plays to up it to 14-3, scoring on Chiles' keeper.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 24 Oct. 2026
Definition of keeper
Noun
  • Parents or guardians must still claim and activate those accounts before managing them.
    — Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 26 Oct. 2026
  • All the accounts of her story agree that this young heiress, named Maria de Lourdes Fernandes, witnessed the deaths of her parents; her guardian then locked her up and drove her to suicide to get her inheritance.
    — Marcus Librizzi, The Conversation, 26 Oct. 2026
Definition of guardian
Noun
  • Eventually, an airport janitor grabbed the bird with her shirt.
    — Charlotte Phillipp, PEOPLE, 19 Oct. 2026
  • Elbert said an airport janitor finally grabbed the bird with her shirt.
    — Sara Tenenbaum, CBS News, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of janitor
Noun
  • But with the Heat in search of offense and outside shooting, Heat rookie guard Ryan Conwell was called on to play the first meaningful minutes of his NBA career.
    — Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 25 Oct. 2026
  • His coronation signaled where the genre was headed—away from the pleading old-guard types and toward a more fluid, hardcore hip-hop hybrid.
    — Clover Hope, Pitchfork, 25 Oct. 2026
Definition of guard
Noun
  • There’s also a 5,000-square-foot guesthouse, a caretaker’s residence, and a separate two-bedroom guardhouse.
    — Abby Montanez, Robb Report, 23 Oct. 2026
  • After being Claudia’s full-time caretaker for years until her death in 2024 at age 96, Young relocated back to Santa Barbara and cultivated his social media audience by sharing insights into the music business.
    — Kyle Eustice, VIBE.com, 21 Oct. 2026
Definition of caretaker
Noun
  • Yeoman warders take part in the ceremonial search ahead of the state opening.
    — Alexander Smith, NBC news, 13 May 2026
  • She’s accompanied by a chaperone/warder, Loti (Céline Menville), a Frenchwoman who has a mean way with a dagger, and cabin boy Blaster (Kayden Price).
    — Robert Lloyd, Los Angeles Times, 29 June 2025
Definition of warder

Browse Nearby Words

warded (off)
warden
wardens
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Warden.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/warden. Accessed 28 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of grotesque

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Why do we 'bury the lede?'

'Za' and 9 Other Words to Help You Win at SCRABBLE
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
different halloween monsters in silhouette
A Monstrous Vocab Quiz Words That Go Bump in the Night
See All