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
  • Starting in 2011, the IRS required brokers and custodians to report cost-basis and holding-period information for stock and mutual fund investors on Form 1099-B.
    — Greg Iacurci, CNBC, 5 Aug. 2026
  • Best for higher net-worth investors Augusta Precious Metals sells gold and silver directly, and also works with third-party custodians to manage your IRA.
    — Faith Wakefield, USA Today, 31 July 2026
Definition of custodian
Noun
  • Perhaps Dominick Puni, who looks like a keeper at right guard?
    — Dieter Kurtenbach, Mercury News, 1 Aug. 2026
  • Kansas City ran a QB keeper with Fields before the third team came on the field.
    — Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 31 July 2026
Definition of keeper
Noun
  • Spanish civil guard ships continued searching for bodies in the waters near the stretch of urban beach that tens of thousand of migrants had breached days earlier.
    — CNN Money, CNN Money, 2 Aug. 2026
  • The Sparks reportedly agreed to trade All-Star guard Kelsey Plum to the Phoenix Mercury on Saturday night, ending a brief stint in Los Angeles as the franchise continues its rebuild ahead of the WNBA trade deadline.
    — Marisa Ingemi, Los Angeles Times, 2 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
  • State and local prosecutors would be able to sue chatbot operators for violating the measures, as well as parents or guardians of children who are harmed by companies that don’t follow them.
    — Stephen Hobbs, Sacbee.com, 1 Aug. 2026
  • Young people who want access to algorithmic feeds or nighttime notifications have to consent to their parent or legal guardian being notified.
    — Cayla Bamberger, New York Daily News, 1 Aug. 2026
Definition of guardian
Noun
  • 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
  • Speculation continues about why the Westmoreland County Prison warden was placed on leave around the same time the prison went on lockdown.
    — Erika Stanish, CBS News, 29 July 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
  • Aibel was among the caretakers who joined the more than 1,200-pound animals on their journey from Marineland.
    — Jared Ochacher, CBS News, 6 Aug. 2026
  • Buss-Kincaid’s caretaker, who was not identified, told police Buss arrived at Buss-Kincaid’s home days before the shooting, Patch reported.
    — Madison E. Goldberg, PEOPLE, 4 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 10 Aug. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of watchman for Spanish Speakers

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