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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 Francis Ford Coppola meditates on the question of who is watching the watchmen in The Conversation, a neo-noir mystery thriller about the human side of surveillance. — Kevin Jacobsen, Entertainment Weekly, 6 June 2026 Nearly 1,400 votes were cast for Elgin High School’s new mascot, with 558 for a lion, 421 for watchmen/timekeepers and 417 for a fox, according to information provided by Principal Avelira Rodriguez Gonzalez. — Mike Danahey, Chicago Tribune, 12 May 2026 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 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
  • If the information isn't readily available online, contact your custodian to ask how to get these specific details.
    — Cheryl Winokur Munk, CNBC, 23 Sep. 2026
  • Long is on Zoom, from her home in Los Angeles and seated at her kitchen counter with the sliding doors behind her, where a custodian is cleaning the deck that coyotes keep fouling.
    — Clayton Davis, Variety, 16 Sep. 2026
Definition of custodian
Noun
  • Ultimately, Jenkins capped the drive with a 4-yard keeper, putting UCF ahead 34-27 with 33 seconds remaining in the third quarter.
    — Matt Murschel, The Orlando Sentinel, 20 Sep. 2026
  • Trey Owens fooled the TCU defense with a 34-yard keeper on third-and-1 to get inside the 10-yard line.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 19 Sep. 2026
Definition of keeper
Noun
  • Iowa lined up to go for it on fourth down at the Michigan 28 late in the game and left guard Leighton Jones was flagged for a false start.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 27 Sep. 2026
  • The Fever guard missed much of last season with a variety of injuries.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 27 Sep. 2026
Definition of guard
Noun
  • The janitor resumed snapping at the bushes with her shears—tiny, clear quartz beads scattered.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 28 Sep. 2026
  • Those excluded were primarily nurses, cooks and janitors stationed at state hospitals and prisons.
    — Corey Schmidt, Sacbee.com, 25 Sep. 2026
Definition of janitor
Noun
  • After Kansas City, Kansas Public Schools notified students’ parents and guardians, the district gave students the option to stay at school or go home, wrote Markl Johnson, district spokesperson, in a statement.
    — Eleanor Nash, Kansas City Star, 21 Sep. 2026
  • Drivers under the age of 21 are not allowed to travel with any alcohol unless they are accompanied by a parent, relative or legal guardian.
    — Sacbee.com, Sacbee.com, 21 Sep. 2026
Definition of guardian
Noun
  • Hosfelt was among nine staff members, including the former warden, arrested in June 2024 and charged with felonies in connection with deaths at the prison.
    — Kelli Arseneau, jsonline.com, 21 Sep. 2026
  • Luckily — or maybe unluckily — the camp’s warden, a hardbitten guy with an oily smile named Clancy (Russell Crowe, hardbitten, smiley, and oily), takes a liking to Murphy.
    — David Fear, Rolling Stone, 16 Sep. 2026
Definition of warden
Noun
  • My sentinel, dressed in a sharp black suit, his frigid blue eyes taut with grief.
    — Clare Mulroy, USA Today, 10 Sep. 2026
  • In the film, robotic sentinels have been constructed to kill all mutants and any humans harboring them.
    — Keith Langston, PEOPLE, 18 July 2026
Definition of sentinel
Noun
  • After both sides signed the Pretoria peace deal, a caretaker administration seen as loyal to Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed was installed in Mekelle, the Tigray capital.
    — SAMUEL GETACHEW, Arkansas Online, 25 Sep. 2026
  • The women supposedly work more in caretaker jobs like teaching and healthcare, softening their views toward the least of us.
    — Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 25 Sep. 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 29 Sep. 2026.

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