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
Then, a few years ago, everyone seemingly started watching women’s sports, and more mainstream exposure followed, as well as more critical coverage.
—
Candace Buckner, New York Times, 4 May 2026
In 2021, Caulfield opened up to PEOPLE about having a hard time watching Pfeiffer's star rise while his stalled a bit after Grease 2's release.
—Virginia Chamlee, PEOPLE, 4 May 2026
The shower's peak will be strongest for those watching from the southern hemisphere tropics, where up to 50 meteors may be seen streaking across the night sky each hour under ideal conditions, according to the American Meteor Society.
—Anthony Wood, Space.com, 4 May 2026
And right now, being behind the scenes and watching everybody, trying to jump on everybody’s shows, and that type of stuff is so cool to see.
—Matt Grobar, Deadline, 4 May 2026
To these fans, and so many others, watching Michael Jordan watch a NASCAR race was just as interesting, if not more, than watching the same race with their own eyes.
—Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 4 May 2026
Sunday was far easier on the eyes than watching the Kings pinch and punch.
—Sean Keeler, Denver Post, 4 May 2026
Traore’s intrigue in the sport was originally sparked by watching UK programming on American football across the pond.
—David Furones, Sun Sentinel, 27 Apr. 2026
Meanwhile, Silicon Valley is watching carefully.
—Matteo Wong, The Atlantic, 27 Apr. 2026
Candace Buckner, New York Times, 4 May 2026
In 2021, Caulfield opened up to PEOPLE about having a hard time watching Pfeiffer's star rise while his stalled a bit after Grease 2's release.
—Virginia Chamlee, PEOPLE, 4 May 2026
The shower's peak will be strongest for those watching from the southern hemisphere tropics, where up to 50 meteors may be seen streaking across the night sky each hour under ideal conditions, according to the American Meteor Society.
—Anthony Wood, Space.com, 4 May 2026
And right now, being behind the scenes and watching everybody, trying to jump on everybody’s shows, and that type of stuff is so cool to see.
—Matt Grobar, Deadline, 4 May 2026
To these fans, and so many others, watching Michael Jordan watch a NASCAR race was just as interesting, if not more, than watching the same race with their own eyes.
—Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 4 May 2026
Sunday was far easier on the eyes than watching the Kings pinch and punch.
—Sean Keeler, Denver Post, 4 May 2026
Traore’s intrigue in the sport was originally sparked by watching UK programming on American football across the pond.
—David Furones, Sun Sentinel, 27 Apr. 2026
Meanwhile, Silicon Valley is watching carefully.
—Matteo Wong, The Atlantic, 27 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for watching
Verb
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This is the monthly observing window — when moonlight no longer overwhelms the fainter stars and the sky begins to reveal itself again.—
Jamie Carter,
Space.com,
8 May 2026
-
New documents released by the Pentagon reveal that the Apollo 17 astronauts reported observing unidentified phenomenon during three consecutive days of their mission.—
Eric Lagatta,
USA Today,
8 May 2026
Verb
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Gloria said her ex-boyfriend had been following and harassing her.—
Paul LaRosa,
CBS News,
3 May 2026
-
The Powerball jackpot has reset to $20 million, or $9 million in cash, ahead of the May 2 drawing following a $143 million win on Wednesday, April 29.—
Fernando Cervantes Jr,
USA Today,
3 May 2026
Verb
-
His group designed and built a SMART brace that has self-monitoring analysis and reporting technologies to aid in the rehabilitation of stroke patients.—
Shelley Jones,
Chicago Tribune,
4 May 2026
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This includes moving from sitting in the grandstands to standing inside Spire’s pit-road workstation near workers while monitoring live race data.—
Chase Jordan
May 4,
Charlotte Observer,
4 May 2026
Verb
-
The key cabin crew are flight attendants Penny (Lucy Barrett) and Zoe (Na Shi), both of whom demonstrate bravery, to different ends, and show caring attention to the terrified children.—
David Rooney,
HollywoodReporter,
28 Apr. 2026
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Instead, as Quick reported, Dundon has already been canvassing the basketball world for Splitter’s possible replacement while clearly not caring about the awful optics.—
Sam Amick,
New York Times,
27 Apr. 2026
Verb
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There is no minimum height to ride, though riders under 46 inches must ride with a supervising companion, according to the park.—
Finch Walker,
USA Today,
8 May 2026
-
At the end of April, a statement attributed to Khamenei indicated Iran would create the mechanism to supervising traffic at the waterway.—
Eleni Giokos,
CNN Money,
7 May 2026
Verb
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The vast acreage of the Newport Beach Golf Course has the city eyeing it for help meeting housing needs, a developer interested in building a surf park and golfers wanting to preserve an affordable option for their recreation.—
Laylan Connelly,
Oc Register,
1 May 2026
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For Thomas, the first step is eyeing the board members who backed the plan.—
Dan Snyder,
CBS News,
1 May 2026
Verb
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But, in a note following the publication of Novo's earnings update, equity analysts at Jefferies said Novo's change in guidance was unlikely to have a positive impact on consensus forecasts — noting market expectations could even contract in response.—
Elsa Ohlen,Chloe Taylor,
CNBC,
6 May 2026
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Kelleher also brushed aside concerns of an erosion of pricing in the contract logistics market based on Amazon’s service expansion, noting that GXO’s churn rate is less than 5 percent.—
Glenn Taylor,
Footwear News,
6 May 2026
Verb
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Jay Blackman Jay Blackman is an NBC News producer covering such areas as transportation, space, medical and consumer issues.—
Jay Blackman,
NBC news,
4 May 2026
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Samantha Ketterer is a Houston Chronicle reporter covering higher education.—
Samantha Ketterer,
Houston Chronicle,
3 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Watching.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/watching. Accessed 10 May. 2026.
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