1
as in custodians
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 keepers
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
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Recent Examples of watchmen
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
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
Kevin Jacobsen, Entertainment Weekly, 6 June 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for watchmen
Noun
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The college currently consists of 11 officers of arms, who undertake the genealogical research and act as custodians of the records.—
Helen Lewis,
The Atlantic,
9 June 2026
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Obama stopped by the Jackson Park facility to hear personal stories from custodians, security guards, visitor services staffers, and more.—
Todd Feurer,
CBS News,
8 June 2026
Noun
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Former keepers who visited on May 13 said the 2-year-old has bonded with surrogate mother Fredrika and developed a playful, mischievous personality.—
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
8 June 2026
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Neither Abrams or Marte are going to be my keepers.—
Eno Sarris,
New York Times,
5 June 2026
Noun
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Former detainees held at Camp East Montana detailed consistent abuses by guards in interviews with the USA TODAY Network, echoing allegations raised in the lawsuit.—
Trevor Hughes,
USA Today,
9 June 2026
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After seven months, Rohde and his interpreter escaped a compound where they were being kept by waiting for the guards to sleep and then using a rope to scale down the wall.—
Aaron Katersky,
ABC News,
9 June 2026
Noun
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The juvenile bear’s wander across campus late Thursday and early Friday prompted an advisory to students and a search by UC Davis police and wardens from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife as well as Yolo County Animal Control.—
Allison Gibson,
Sacbee.com,
15 May 2026
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The state wardens and other cops who knew and worked with Bob Markle weren’t just honoring his memory by attending his funeral.—
Dave Duffey,
Outdoor Life,
26 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Robotic grid guardians Power utilities in southwestern China are using robotic snakes to inspect power lines, showcasing a new approach to infrastructure monitoring in environments where drones face limitations.—
Jijo Malayil,
Interesting Engineering,
11 June 2026
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In places where the program is active, parents and legal guardians who are verified riders can create accounts for teens.—
Don Sweeney,
Sacbee.com,
10 June 2026
Noun
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In 1952, the Sherskys closed Three Feathers and Q was left roaming Knoxville, selling to schoolteachers, promoters, and even janitors.—
Jonathan Rowe,
SPIN,
1 June 2026
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Software developers, accountants, and management consultants sit at the top of both rankings; electricians, janitors, and construction laborers sit at the bottom.—
Nick Lichtenberg,
Fortune,
29 May 2026
Noun
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Here and there, fire, wind, and flood would have broken the forest into a mosaic of old and new, grass and forest, shrubs and sentinels.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
10 June 2026
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At the end of one of the castle’s walkways, after a turn or two—by electric cart, bicycle, or on foot—and with the air filled with the scent of pine, rosemary, and jasmine, the sentinels are waiting, carved into the rock where the fort’s cannons were once located.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
2 June 2026
Noun
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For this reason, healthcare providers and family members or other caretakers are the most likely to contract it.—
Dr. Sanjay Gupta,
CNN Money,
6 June 2026
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This knowledge could help Ötzi’s caretakers keep the body well preserved into the future and enable other researchers to do the same for other frozen biological discoveries.—
Adam Kovac,
Scientific American,
3 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Watchmen.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/watchmen. Accessed 16 Jun. 2026.
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