sentinel

1 of 2

noun

sen·​ti·​nel ˈsent-nəl How to pronounce sentinel (audio)
ˈsen-tə-nəl
: sentry

sentinel

2 of 2

verb

sentineled or sentinelled; sentineling or sentinelling

transitive verb

1
: to watch over as a sentinel
2
: to furnish with a sentinel
3
: to post as sentinel

Examples of sentinel in a Sentence

Noun a lone sentinel kept watch over the fort
Recent Examples on the Web
These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Noun
Seems dolphins are one of the major biological sentinels of our plastic pollution. Susanne Rust, Los Angeles Times, 22 Oct. 2024 But it’s had many lives: a residence for noble families, a Nazarene college, a sentinel of resilience that resisted Napoleonic invasions and endured the dark days of Nazi rule. Ann Abel, Forbes, 26 Sep. 2024
Verb
While penicillin was a game-changer, microorganisms were able to quickly adapt developing mutations to neutralize the effects of this antibiotic, sort of like those robot sentinels in the movie X-Men: Days of Future Past. Bruce Y. Lee, Forbes, 17 Sep. 2024 Think delicate epiphytic orchids curling around the knobby trunks of waving palms; white clapboard cottages with shutters in shades of salmon, sunshine, and seafoam; and a stretch of private beach with a lighthouse sentinel on the horizon. Caroline Rogers, Southern Living, 30 June 2023 See all Example Sentences for sentinel 

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle French sentinelle, from Old Italian sentinella, from sentina vigilance, from sentire to perceive, from Latin

First Known Use

Noun

1579, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1593, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of sentinel was in 1579

Dictionary Entries Near sentinel

Cite this Entry

“Sentinel.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sentinel. Accessed 16 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

sentinel

noun
sen·​ti·​nel
ˈsent-(ə-)nəl
: sentry

Medical Definition

sentinel

adjective
sen·​ti·​nel ˈsent-ᵊn-əl How to pronounce sentinel (audio)
: being an individual or part of a population potentially susceptible to an infection or infestation that is being monitored for the appearance or recurrence of the causative pathogen or parasite

More from Merriam-Webster on sentinel

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

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