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

The partnership is well-known to both Fed insiders and casual market watchers. —Eva Roytburg, Fortune, 23 Oct. 2025

Even with far fewer rangers and limited services, leaf peepers and wildlife watchers continue to drive Trail Ridge Road and hike the park’s trails. —AFAR Media, 23 Oct. 2025

Wisconsin sky watchers have a final chance to see two comets, along with a meteor shower, this week. —Maia Pandey, jsonline.com, 22 Oct. 2025

In addition to the Orionid meteor shower reaching its peak, along with Comet Lemmon (C/2025 A6) and Comet C/2025 R2 SWAN making their closest approach to Earth today, sky-watchers could be treated to a round of colorful auroras before dawn. —Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 20 Oct. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing watcher

• bird-watcher
• clock-watcher