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

Almost 173 million of those are regular watchers of the video service, worth more than $24 billion in direct annual subscription fees alone. —Brendan Coffey, Sportico.com, 9 Apr. 2025

Those social media posts are seen as speculative and have not been followed up by statement from rival media outlets in China, market watchers caution. —Etan Vlessing, HollywoodReporter, 9 Apr. 2025

The initial drop in mortgage rates last week had housing watchers cheering a potential boost to the lackluster spring market. —Diana Olick, CNBC, 8 Apr. 2025

As yet, there have been no delays to drug approvals, but industry watchers worry that may not last in light of the agency job cuts. —Tina Reed, Axios, 3 Apr. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing watcher

• bird-watcher
• clock-watcher