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 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 Here was another young Black person, a 17-year-old heading back from the convenience store, who had been deemed a threat, shot, and killed by a neighborhood watchman. — Noelle Swan, Christian Science Monitor, 27 Aug. 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
  • Assets in a custodial account may be considered the child's, even though a parent or other adult serves as the custodian.
    — Elizabeth Gravier,Dan Avery, CNBC, 16 July 2026
  • The union represents over 250,000 classified public school employees, like bus drivers, custodians, food service workers, para-educators, clerical staff and campus security guards.
    — Nollyanne Delacruz, Mercury News, 15 July 2026
Definition of custodian
Noun
  • The critical moment took place before that, when the taker didn’t accurately perceive or interpret the movements of the ’keeper.
    — Geir Jordet, New York Times, 14 July 2026
  • But the White Sox drafted a keeper that year in Hall of Famer Harold Baines.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 13 July 2026
Definition of keeper
Noun
  • Former Houston standout guard Kingston Flemings hit a deep jumper — his toe was ruled on the 3-point line — with three seconds left in OT, slicing Utah’s lead to one, 100-99.
    — Gary Bedore, Kansas City Star, 5 July 2026
  • Tempers flared late in the fourth quarter when Kings center Dylan Cardwell and Nets guard Egor Demin wrestled for a loose ball.
    — Jason Anderson, Sacbee.com, 5 July 2026
Definition of guard
Noun
  • The janitor of the school is more important than the principal.
    — Mac Engel June 29, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 30 June 2026
  • Broadwater, then 20, had grown up as one of six children of a janitor who worked for Syracuse University.
    — Joaquin Sapien, ProPublica, 30 June 2026
Definition of janitor
Noun
  • All of these titles were chosen based on parental and guardians’ reports of the subjects’ favorite programs.
    — Whitney Friedlander, Los Angeles Times, 13 July 2026
  • The family had been living on Shikoku island in Japan – a country where, until a law change this April, only one parent could be considered a child’s legal guardian after divorce.
    — Laura Sharman, CNN Money, 12 July 2026
Definition of guardian
Noun
  • Texas Parks and Wildlife Department — Game wardens, rescue boat teams and helicopters with hoist capability to assist with water rescues.
    — Mateo Rosiles, USA Today, 14 July 2026
  • Exceptions include their use by police officers or animal wardens in an official capacity, at an archery club or paintball gun club, at a public or private range designed for that purpose, or to protect human life or property.
    — Doug Ross, Chicago Tribune, 10 July 2026
Definition of warden
Noun
  • 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
  • Meanwhile, in Ischia Ponte, the Castello Aragonese stands sentinel over a causeway that connects it to the rest of the island.
    — Laura Itzkowitz, Travel + Leisure, 24 June 2026
Definition of sentinel
Noun
  • The lingering air pollution has proved to be a challenge for some caretakers to care for their stock.
    — Finnegan Belleau, Chicago Tribune, 18 July 2026
  • He was trusted with the most intimate emotional labor in his family; trusted to be the caretaker, the one who looked out.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 17 July 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 20 Jul. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of watchman for Spanish Speakers

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