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

Following the release of the Duchess of Sussex's interview and photo spread with Harper's Bazaar, some eagle-eyed royal watchers noted that several of the pictures — snapped by Malick Bodian — bore a striking resemblance to photos Diana posed for throughout her life. —Meredith Kile, PEOPLE, 21 Nov. 2025

Some Fed watchers say that an unusually high number of dissents are possible at the December 9-10 meeting, regardless of whether the central bank reduces rates or not. —Christopher Rugaber, Fortune, 18 Nov. 2025

The Fed chair’s role of seeking unanimous agreement notably began under former Fed Chair Ben Bernanke, according to Jon Hilsenrath, a long-time Fed watcher and senior adviser at brokerage firm StoneX Group. —Bryan Mena, CNN Money, 17 Nov. 2025

However, market watchers emphasize that this reset looks very different from past crises. —Lee Ying Shan,dylan Butts, CNBC, 17 Nov. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing watcher

• bird-watcher
• clock-watcher