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 of watcher

• guardian
• custodian
• guard
• keeper
• warden
• sentinel
• watch
• observer

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

Sky-watchers should allow at least 30 minutes for their eyes to adjust to the darkness. —Nandika Chatterjee, Time, 21 Dec. 2025

Normally, market watchers would expect a meaningful drop in inflation would spark a sharp rally in stocks—or, in these days of bad data being good and good data being bad—a selloff as markets reprice interest-rate expectations. —Eva Roytburg, Fortune, 18 Dec. 2025

While execs have publicly declined to address it, some industry watchers have speculated that Paramount could make the most of that connection in order to supercharge its offerings to better compete with tech giants. —Dade Hayes, Deadline, 18 Dec. 2025

Eager sky watchers armed with a pair of good binoculars or a backyard telescope should be able to spot the comet—and of course, astronomers are watching closely. —Claire Cameron, Scientific American, 16 Dec. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing watcher

• bird-watcher
• clock-watcher