Word.ws English Dictionary

changing of the guards

changing of the guards is the alternative form of changing of the guard.

Meaning of changing of the guard

Noun

changing of the guard (plural changings of the guard)

  1. (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
  2. (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

Forms of changing of the guards

pluralchangings of the guards

Questions about changing of the guards

What is changing of the guards the alternative form of?
Changing of the guards is the alternative form of changing of the guard.

Words near changing of the guards in the dictionary

  1. changing like seasons
  2. changing like the seasons
  3. changing note
  4. changing notes
  5. changing of the guard
  6. changing of the guards
  7. changing one's battery
  8. changing one's mind
  9. changing one's story
  10. changing one's tune
  11. changing one's ways

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: changing of the guards (page history and authors); 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.

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