changing of the guard

changing of the guard noun: a ceremony during which the soldiers or other officials guarding a major government building or state residence, especially Buckingham Palace in England, are replaced by a new shift.

Image: Rennett Stowe from USA, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Noun

changing of the guard (plural changings of the guard)

(usually preceded by the) A ceremony during which the soldiers or other officials guarding a major government building or state residence, especially Buckingham Palace in England, are replaced by a new shift.

Synonyms:

guard mounting
(broadly, figuratively) Any situation in which an individual or group charged with a task or responsibilities in an organization is replaced by another individual or group.
- All the signs are right this time / You don't have to try so very hard / If you live in this world / You're feelin' the change of the guard1972, Donald Fagen, Walter Becker, “Change of the Guard”, performed by Steely Dan
- I've moved your mountains and marked your cards / But Eden is burning, either get ready for elimination / Or else your hearts must have the courage for the changing of the guards1978, Bob Dylan, “Changing of the Guards”, in Street-Legal

Examples of changing of the guard in a sentence

At the same stressful time, Detroit's automakers will be going through a major changing of the guard: all three companies are expected to get new chief executives in the space of two years.1989 November 20, S. C. Gwynne, “Running Low On Gas”, in Time, archived from the original on 22 Oct 2010:
NBC has set a date for the changing of the guard at "The Tonight Show." After 17 years, Jay Leno will sign off as host of the venerated late-night talker.2008 July 21, James Hibberd, “NBC finalizes its late shift”, in Hollywood Reporter, retrieved 25 Jul 2010:
The changing of the guard is set to ripple out beyond Amazon, which Mr.2021 February 2, Karen Weise, “Jeff Bezos to Step Down as Amazon C.E.O.”, in The New York Times, →ISSN:
It had been a sobering and underwhelming tournament, but one that must now fuel the future, with a changing of the guard needed ahead of next year's Euro 2024 qualifying campaign.2022 November 29, Ian Mitchelmore, “Wales put out of World Cup misery by England as sobering tournament must signal changing of the guard”...

Synonyms of changing of the guard

guard mounting

Forms of changing of the guard

plural	changings of the guard
alternative form	change of the guard
alternative form	changing of the guards

Questions about changing of the guard

What does changing of the guard mean?: Changing of the guard means a ceremony during which the soldiers or other officials guarding a major government building or state residence, especially Buckingham Palace in England, are replaced by a new shift.
How do you use changing of the guard in a sentence?: At the same stressful time, Detroit's automakers will be going through a major changing of the guard: all three companies are expected to get new chief executives in the space of two years.
What part of speech is changing of the guard?: Changing of the guard is a noun.
What is the plural of changing of the guard?: The plural of changing of the guard is changings of the guard.

Words near changing of the guard in the dictionary

Adapted from Wiktionary: changing of the guard (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

Last updated: 2026-09-02

Cite this entry: “changing of the guard.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/changing_of_the_guard. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.