1
as in observing
to keep one's eyes on
I turned my head to continue watching the bird as it flew away
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in following
to take notice of and be guided by
watch what I do when I run into that kind of problem
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in monitoring
to pay continued close attention to (something) for a particular purpose
watched the situation to see if it improved
Synonyms & Similar Words
4
as in caring
to have an interest or concern for
you should watch what you eat if you want a long, healthy life
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
5
as in supervising
to take charge of especially on behalf of another
hired a high school girl to watch their daughter until they got home from work
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of watching
Neuroscience has long shown that watching another person experience pain activates the same neural regions as experiencing pain ourselves.
—
Dev Patnaik, Forbes.com, 27 Jan. 2026
And there’s Faithfull, watching her past paraded before her with an amused smile and a sense of high irony still intact.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 26 Jan. 2026
Clearly looking to shock, Raimi depicts bodily injury in oozing detail, whether that means thrusting the camera into Bradley’s festering leg wound or watching one of the pair plunge their thumb into the eye socket of the other.
—Peter Debruge, Variety, 26 Jan. 2026
But by Saturday afternoon, as attendees hopped around Park City, many were also watching videos of the killing of Pretti, a Minnesota nurse, on their cellphones, and a sense of cognitive dissonance began to permeate the festival.
—Rebecca Keegan, NBC news, 26 Jan. 2026
Liu said Quentin Tarantino wrote the part for her after watching her performance in the 2000 western.
—Daysia Tolentino, Entertainment Weekly, 26 Jan. 2026
Explore its extreme landscapes during the day on a scenic drive before watching the stars put on a show at night.
—Elizabeth Rhodes, Travel + Leisure, 10 Jan. 2026
One of the cool things about watching Adam act is there aren’t bad takes.
—Mark Olsen, Los Angeles Times, 9 Jan. 2026
Williams re-emerged from the field house and was running lightly on the side with a member of the training staff watching closely.
—Jerry McDonald, Mercury News, 9 Jan. 2026
Dev Patnaik, Forbes.com, 27 Jan. 2026
And there’s Faithfull, watching her past paraded before her with an amused smile and a sense of high irony still intact.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 26 Jan. 2026
Clearly looking to shock, Raimi depicts bodily injury in oozing detail, whether that means thrusting the camera into Bradley’s festering leg wound or watching one of the pair plunge their thumb into the eye socket of the other.
—Peter Debruge, Variety, 26 Jan. 2026
But by Saturday afternoon, as attendees hopped around Park City, many were also watching videos of the killing of Pretti, a Minnesota nurse, on their cellphones, and a sense of cognitive dissonance began to permeate the festival.
—Rebecca Keegan, NBC news, 26 Jan. 2026
Liu said Quentin Tarantino wrote the part for her after watching her performance in the 2000 western.
—Daysia Tolentino, Entertainment Weekly, 26 Jan. 2026
Explore its extreme landscapes during the day on a scenic drive before watching the stars put on a show at night.
—Elizabeth Rhodes, Travel + Leisure, 10 Jan. 2026
One of the cool things about watching Adam act is there aren’t bad takes.
—Mark Olsen, Los Angeles Times, 9 Jan. 2026
Williams re-emerged from the field house and was running lightly on the side with a member of the training staff watching closely.
—Jerry McDonald, Mercury News, 9 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for watching
Verb
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As Hal witnesses crisis and inequality firsthand, the line between observing and acting begins to blur.—
Matt Grobar,
Deadline,
6 Feb. 2026
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When athletes are training, Gnacinski can be found off to the sides observing their performance.—
Kate Kealey,
Des Moines Register,
6 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The ban on Proust would be lifted in 1953 (following a protest in parliament on his behalf some years previously).—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
2 Feb. 2026
-
In fall 2025, Johnson delayed the swearing-in of now-Representative Adelita Grijalva following a special election in Arizona.—
Kate Perez,
USA Today,
2 Feb. 2026
Verb
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One wonders how many Premier League clubs are monitoring Kane’s situation and would be disappointed by his decision to stay at Bayern Munich.—
Graham Ruthven,
Forbes.com,
27 Jan. 2026
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These services do all the work for you by actively monitoring and systematically erasing your personal information from hundreds of websites.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
26 Jan. 2026
Verb
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His peers stopped caring so much about his size and started admiring his talent.—
Mike Wehner,
Big Think,
29 Jan. 2026
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He’s been shown to be caring in many ways.—
Yvonne Villarreal,
Los Angeles Times,
29 Jan. 2026
Verb
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As a producer, executive producer or supervising producer, Keller’s credits include 24 episodes of The Pretender, Boomtown, 17 episodes of Blue Bloods and the 2017 documentary King Cohen.—
Greg Evans,
Deadline,
6 Feb. 2026
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Additionally, Dropout staffer Ebony Elaine Hardin has been promoted from supervising producer to director of production.—
Jennifer Maas,
Variety,
3 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Tech entrepreneurs eyeing cannabis resembled the ship captains of the age of exploration.—
Scott Eden,
Rolling Stone,
1 Feb. 2026
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The biggest uncertainty is whether the district Campbell is eyeing will exist for the 2026 election.—
Anthony Man,
Sun Sentinel,
31 Jan. 2026
Verb
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As tensions simmer, neighboring countries have been mediating between the two sides to avert a war, noting that any conflict could spread and destabilize the Middle East.—
Kevin Liptak,
CNN Money,
5 Feb. 2026
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MirrorMe says its work builds on nearly a decade of research, noting that since 2016, its team has treated speed as a long-term priority.—
Jijo Malayil,
Interesting Engineering,
4 Feb. 2026
Verb
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In New York, the publication dogged former Mayor Bill de Blasio’s progressive policies and his personal life, covering everything from his gym visits to his divorce in cringe-inducing detail.—
Max Tani,
semafor.com,
2 Feb. 2026
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Democrats Menefee, a former Harris County attorney, and Amanda Edwards, a former member of Houston's city council, competed in a runoff to represent Texas' 18th Congressional District, a solidly Democratic area covering part of Houston and the surrounding region.—
Kate Perez,
USA Today,
2 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Watching.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/watching. Accessed 8 Feb. 2026.
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