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

• 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

Nancy Mitford, the eldest sister, was a volunteer fire watcher during the blitz. —Mimi Pond, People.com, 14 Sep. 2025

Market watchers are all aflutter this week over whether the Federal Reserve will lower interest rates, and if so, by how much. —Robert Daugherty, Forbes.com, 13 Sep. 2025

Not all market watchers see a crazy boom as such a good thing. —Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 12 Sep. 2025

Paris, plus London in spring 2026 and Milan during the city’s design week, represent a turning point of the brand, market watchers agreed. —Sofia Celeste, Footwear News, 12 Sep. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing watcher

• bird-watcher
• clock-watcher