watchman

noun

ˈwäch-mən How to pronounce watchman (audio)
Definition of watchmannext
1
as in custodian
a person or group that watches over someone or something hired a watchman to patrol the factory at night

Synonyms & Similar Words

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2
as in keeper
a person who takes care of a property sometimes for an absent owner a watchman lives next door to scare off prowlers

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of watchman Ideas like reparative journalism and sousveillance — an antonym for surveillance, concerning watching the watchmen in a reversal of power — earn fleeting mentions, but are never the focus of actual inquiry. — Siddhant Adlakha, Variety, 14 Mar. 2026 Stingley died the same year as Trayvon Martin, a Black Florida teen shot to death by a neighborhood volunteer watchman, who was acquitted in 2013. — Megan O’Matz, ProPublica, 16 Jan. 2026 Désir explained the various Gede spirits, like Baron Samedi, the spirit that takes souls to the afterlife and Brav Gede the watchman of the graveyard. — Miami Herald, 12 Nov. 2025 The old man of the night, the watchman not yet in bed. — Literary Hub, 19 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for watchman
Recent Examples of Synonyms for watchman
  1. custodian
  2. keeper
  3. guard
  4. janitor
  5. guardian
  6. warden
  7. sentinel
  8. caretaker
Noun
  • More from this past week • A transgender woman who works as a custodian at the University of Kansas was reported for using the wrong restroom under a new state law.
    — Matthew Kelly, Kansas City Star, 12 Aug. 2026
  • Two school custodians have been found shot dead in a Chicago elementary school, according to Chicago ABC station WLS.
    — David Brennan, ABC News, 11 Aug. 2026
Definition of custodian
Noun
  • With more than 1,000 suggestions to chose from, here's the name keepers picked.
    — Finch Walker, USA Today, 10 Aug. 2026
  • The Canada keeper made eight saves as León had 10 shots on target.
    — Kyle Foley, The Orlando Sentinel, 9 Aug. 2026
Definition of keeper
Noun
  • Window has window guards, building super says The building superintendent later confirmed that the window in question on the fifth floor has window guards, which are safety devices for windows made to prevent children from falling out.
    — Naveen Dhaliwal, CBS News, 10 Aug. 2026
  • To punish and sustain Helaena, Rhaenyra has guards shovel lukewarm gruel down her throat.
    — Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 10 Aug. 2026
Definition of guard
Noun
  • The janitor then told nurses of the discovery, and police were notified as required by law.
    — Landon Mion, FOXNews.com, 2 Aug. 2026
  • Timothy didn’t attend college and held several jobs throughout his life, including working as a janitor at Harvard, where Chris went to school.
    — Alex Gurley, PEOPLE, 24 July 2026
Definition of janitor
Noun
  • The confederations are presenting themselves not as rivals attempting to weaken FIFA, but as guardians of a collective system.
    — Clemente Lisi, Forbes.com, 10 Aug. 2026
  • Donors should bring a photo ID and must be at least 17 years of age, or 16 with a parent or guardian’s consent.
    — Anne Gelhaus, Mercury News, 9 Aug. 2026
Definition of guardian
Noun
  • The women tensed when the deputy warden of the Rostov jail, a curt, imperious man with a heavy-footed gait, walked in.
    — Joshua Yaffa, New Yorker, 10 Aug. 2026
  • Moses Seixas, warden of Touro Synagogue in Newport, Rhode Island, presented an address welcoming President George Washington to the city.
    — USA Today, USA Today, 4 Aug. 2026
Definition of warden
Noun
  • In the film, robotic sentinels have been constructed to kill all mutants and any humans harboring them.
    — Keith Langston, PEOPLE, 18 July 2026
  • The observatory has spent over two decades as a sort of orbital sentinel that scans the cosmos for gamma-ray bursts, ready to quickly point itself at the short-lived — but insanely powerful — space explosions at a moment's notice.
    — Tariq Malik, Space.com, 26 June 2026
Definition of sentinel
Noun
  • Can Carrick turn a good few months as United caretaker into a successful whole season?
    — Nick Miller, New York Times, 15 Aug. 2026
  • Slot machines only respond to a computer program and the odds of a win are set by the machine’s caretaker, period.
    — Chip Bell, Forbes.com, 15 Aug. 2026
Definition of caretaker

Browse Nearby Words

watching over
watchman
watchmen
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Watchman.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/watchman. Accessed 17 Aug. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of watchman for Spanish Speakers

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