as in insults
an act or expression showing scorn and usually intended to hurt another's feelings
in her farewell speech, the departing governor got in some retaliatory girds at the media
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in wraps
to encircle or bind with or as if with a belt
for the celebration of the heroes' return, well-wishers girded hundreds of trees with yellow ribbons she girded her waist with a delicate sash
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in equips
to provide (someone) with what is needed for a task or activity
the Spartan warrior girded himself for battle with sword and shield
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in surrounds
to form a circle around
a tall hedge girds the exclusive estate and shields it from prying eyes
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 girds
Sam Charles, Chicago Tribune, 29 Aug. 2025
Verb
Chicago police Superintendent Larry Snelling rebuked a Northwest Side alderman who expressed skepticism this week about Chicago’s year-over-year crime declines as the city girds itself ahead of a possible deployment of National Guard troops.
—Sam Charles, Chicago Tribune, 29 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for girds
Noun
-
The insults came after Duffy made a series of public appearances to proclaim NASA's intention of reopening a contract with SpaceX for a moon lander for its upcoming Artemis III mission.—
Eric Lagatta,
USA Today,
22 Oct. 2025
-
Carter was sitting in her chair, listening to a lesson, when Octavius Johnson, a classmate who had a crush on her, started to fire off insults.—
Jeff Pearlman,
Rolling Stone,
17 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Eventually, as the project wraps in coming years, that total will soar to 5,700 acres.—
Moira McCarthy,
Boston Herald,
12 Oct. 2025
-
The beauty of the design is that the wood wraps around the entire back.—
Elly Leavitt,
Vogue,
10 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
William and Kate met with Chief Fire & Rescue Officer, Aidan Jennings, and learned how the college equips trainees with the necessary skills.—
Simon Perry,
PEOPLE,
14 Oct. 2025
-
Williams’ background in urban planning and ecology also equips her to help clients restore the landscapes around their buildings, turning projects into regenerative spaces rather than scars on the land.—
Malana VanTyler,
USA Today,
3 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
This is the second part of a series exploring electric bicycles, their local impact and the ongoing controversy that surrounds them.—
Ashley Mackin Solomon,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
26 Oct. 2025
-
The report released this week surrounds a state antisemitism complaint filed by Oakland’s Law Office of Marleen Sacks.—
Molly Gibbs,
Mercury News,
24 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
The civil-rights movement, which Williams so pointedly admires, furnishes an excellent example of this.—
Andrea Long Chu,
Vulture,
5 Aug. 2025
-
To that end, the university’s Basic Needs Services office, which furnishes a variety of programs and support to help Titans experiencing unforeseen financial hardship, is offering Financial Wellness Peer Mentoring.—
Contributing Writer,
Orange County Register,
14 Feb. 2025
Verb
-
The Russell-Brasstown Scenic Byway is a looped route, one that meanders through the Chattahoochee National Forest and encircles the headwaters of the Chattahoochee River.—
Lydia Mansel,
Travel + Leisure,
4 Oct. 2025
-
Each element encircles a central void, which Robertson describes as symbolic thresholds–portals between identities, spaces, and ideas.—
Lee Sharrock,
Forbes.com,
20 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
The project aims to compensate for California's decreasing oil refinery capacity, which currently supplies much of Arizona's gas.—
Sasha Hupka,
AZCentral.com,
25 Oct. 2025
-
This question supplies the premise of A House of Dynamite, a new military-industrial thriller from The Hurt Locker and Zero Dark Thirty director Kathryn Bigelow now streaming on Netflix, which been lauded by critics since its Venice Film Festival premiere.—
Megan McCluskey,
Time,
24 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Women and children of the city are living in a state of terror, fearing that the fiend, if uncaught, will commit other outrages in this city.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
16 Oct. 2025
-
Such outrages have taken place even in New York City.—
Ofir Akunis,
MSNBC Newsweek,
7 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Girds.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/girds. Accessed 30 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share