lowers one's guard
Drops defensive posture
To lower one's guard is to relax vigilance or drop defenses, becoming vulnerable to attack or manipulation.
The phrase comes from boxing and martial arts, where lowering protective hands exposes you to blows.
In everyday use, it describes letting down emotional or social defenses: After a few drinks, she lowered her guard and told me everything.
Often appears as let down one's guard or simply drop one's guard.
- yieldingBending under pressure
- social bondingForming emotional connections
- exposing oneselfDeliberate public nudity
- forgivingInclined to pardon offenses
- olive branchSymbol of reconciliation
moment of weakness · trust · complacency · vulnerability · opening up · heart to heart · reconciliation · building bridges · naivety · apologizing · surrender · openness · relaxation · leisure activities · celebrations · disarming · negotiation · insecurity