How to Use off guard in a Sentence

off guard

phrase
  • That’s why the fact that what was said was said catches me so off guard.
    — Gary Phillips, New York Daily News, 8 July 2026
  • The backlash over the pause on traffic stops caught some in the White House off guard.
    — Nick Miroff, The Atlantic, 15 July 2026
  • The safest approach is to put protections in place before an urgent call, text or email catches you off guard.
    — Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 17 July 2026
  • Residents said they were caught off guard a year ago and didn’t receive any warning when floods overtopped the Guadalupe.
    — Jesse Bedayn, Los Angeles Times, 16 July 2026
  • They were perhaps caught off guard that France fielded the majority of their stars in that meeting.
    — Tim Spiers, New York Times, 30 June 2026
  • Within days, nearly every artist dropped out, with some claiming they were caught off guard by the partisan nature of the event.
    — Philip Wang, Time, 29 June 2026
  • Caleb Kilian appeared caught off guard by the decision, dropping to the ground as Susac made the throw.
    — Justice Delos Santos, Mercury News, 21 July 2026
  • The move caught lawmakers in both parties off guard and delayed enactment of the legislation.
    — Sarah Agostino,mike Winters, CNBC, 11 July 2026
  • Trying to catch Cape Verde off guard, Messi curled a left-footed shot toward the upper right corner of the net.
    — Tim Rohan, NBC news, 4 July 2026
  • This month’s announcement from CMS caught states off guard with a new definition of medical frailty.
    — ABC News, 29 June 2026
  • The change at Blue Spring was announced two weeks ago on Facebook and Instagram, catching some daytime visitors off guard.
    — Patrick Connolly, The Orlando Sentinel, 18 July 2026
  • John Healey has been named as finance minister in a move that has caught commentators and markets off guard, as his name was absent from speculation before the appointment.
    — Leonie Kidd, CNBC, 21 July 2026
  • The energy price spike ushered in by the Iran war left many Americans off guard as inflation remains persistent and higher costs ding consumer sentiment.
    — Bloomberg, Mercury News, 7 July 2026
  • Sirens, horns, and shouts to evacuate rang out in the West Bottoms and along Southwest Boulevard all morning, but the speed of the flooding still caught everyone off guard.
    — Kansas City Public Library Staff, Kansas City Star, 1 July 2026
  • That’s because the introduction came as a surprise, catching Camilla off guard, according to royal author Penny Junor.
    — Starr Bowenbank, InStyle, 17 July 2026
  • The moment visibly caught Duff off guard, prompting members of her security team to step forward briefly, though the singer quickly laughed it off and continued the performance without interruption.
    — Lily Brown, PEOPLE, 3 July 2026
  • After the assemblies, longtime Colorado Democratic strategist Mike Dino told CBS Colorado that DeGette's name recognition and congressional seniority were significant advantages in the race, but that her poor showing caught him off guard.
    — Jesse Sarles, CBS News, 1 July 2026

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'off guard.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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