watcher

noun

watch·​er ˈwä-chər 

ˈwȯ-

: one that watches: such as

a

: one that sits up or continues awake at night

b

: watchman

c(1)

: one that keeps watch beside a dead person

(2)

: one that attends a sick person at night

d

: a person who closely follows or observes someone or something

a Supreme Court watcher

—often used in combination

celebrity-watchers

e

: a representative of a party or candidate who is stationed at the polls on an election day to watch the conduct of officials and voters

Synonyms

• custodian
• guard
• guardian
• keeper
• lookout
• minder
• picket
• sentinel
• sentry
• warden
• warder
• watch
• watchman

Examples of watcher in a Sentence

the inexperienced babysitter turned out to be a well-meaning but hopelessly incompetent watcher of young children

a safari that affords wildlife watchers plenty of opportunities to see Africa's grandest creatures in their natural habitat

Recent Examples on the Web

Some team members are being trained on the site, a Starbucks is open inside the park, although not to the general public, and industry watchers expect vehicle test rides to start next month. —Dewayne Bevil, Orlando Sentinel, 8 Feb. 2025

The feat, which largely took AI industry watchers by surprise, was all the more stunning because DeepSeek reported spending only a small fraction on it compared with the amount OpenAI spent. —Ashley Belanger, Ars Technica, 6 Feb. 2025

Field guide: on sale for $8.45 Original price: $16.99 Downloading bird watching apps can help, but a field guide is a must for any bird watcher. —Christopher Murray, Fox News, 5 Feb. 2025

While crude markets will see higher prices and consumers will be forking out more for gasoline and diesel costs in the near term, the spike is only temporary, oil watchers told CNBC. —Lee Ying Shan, CNBC, 3 Feb. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing watcher

• bird-watcher
• clock-watcher