Thesaurus results for WATCHMEN

watchmen

noun

plural of watchman

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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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

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 watchmen The civilian watchmen for the ship were taking an unauthorized break during this time and were not at their posts. — Frannie Comstock, Encyclopedia Britannica, 20 Aug. 2026 Fiddlers played at the street corners and watchmen called out the hour of the day. — Danny Heitman, Christian Science Monitor, 22 July 2026 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

Recent Examples of Synonyms for watchmen

Noun

Zuckerberg is referencing OpenAI and Anthropic, which operate on the premise that hyper-smart AI is both inevitable and apocalyptic—and therefore safe only in the hands of the wisest custodians (themselves).

— Will Oremus, The Atlantic, 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 custodians

Noun

Police reinforcements were called late Saturday to the temporary accommodation center for asylum seekers in Sintiki, a few kilometers (miles) from the Bulgarian border, after migrants threw rocks at guards, according to police.

— ABC News, ABC News, 23 Aug. 2026
Parents will be dropping off students, children will be navigating new routes, and nearly 250 city crossing guards will be out each day to help families cross safely.

— Andrew Adeolu, CBS News, 23 Aug. 2026

Definition of guards

Noun

The encounter fortunately ended without anyone being injured, but Parks Canada wardens were able to identify the hikers after the video was posted online and racked up millions of views.

— Amber Harding OutKick, FOXNews.com, 26 July 2026
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

Definition of wardens

Noun

As families prepare for the first day of classes, parents and guardians are gathering school supplies, arranging carpools and figuring out how their children will get to and from school.

— Angela Rodriguez, Sacbee.com, 17 Aug. 2026
Parents are naming guardians for their children in case they are detained or deported, while others have stopped working, shopping or even leaving home, relying instead on neighbors and churches.

— Maria Santana, CNN Money, 15 Aug. 2026

Definition of guardians

Noun

In the film, robotic sentinels have been constructed to kill all mutants and any humans harboring them.

— Keith Langston, PEOPLE, 18 July 2026
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

Definition of sentinels

Noun

Some turned on her caretakers, demanding more updates and accusing them of withholding information.

— Lila Seidman, Los Angeles Times, 20 Aug. 2026
Yee decided her favorite nook was the Picture Room, where the museum’s caretakers unveiled Soane’s choicest paintings stowed behind clandestine folding panes.

— Paul Jebara, Condé Nast Traveler, 18 Aug. 2026