watch

Formswatches, watching, watched

Pluralwatches

1. 1
   verbtransitive or intransitive

   To look at, see, or view someone or something for a period of time.

   I watch the sunset from my balcony most evenings.

   They watched the parade pass through the main street.

   UsageWatch things that move or change, like TV or a game; look at still things, like a photo.

   Similarsee, view, observe, witness

   Note

   The everyday verb for following something that moves or changes, and it works with or without an object. You watch TV, or, as W. B. Maxwell writes in The Mirror and the Lamp (1918), "just to watch was pleasant." Watch implies duration and attention, which is why people speak of watching the clock when time drags. Source

   Checked 31 Oct 2026 · 3 facts

   • W. B. Maxwell wrote The Mirror and the Lamp. openlibrary.org
   • The Mirror and the Lamp was first published in 1918. en.wikisource.org
   • The quoted words occur exactly as given in the novel's narration. en.wiktionary.org
2. 2
   observe changesverbtransitive

   To observe someone or something over a period of time, noticing or paying attention to what happens.

   Analysts watch the markets for early signs of a downturn.

   He watched her expression carefully as she read the letter.

   UsageOften followed by a clause: watch what happens, watch how she does it. Watch this! asks for attention now.

   Similarobserve, monitor, track, follow, study

   Oppositeignore, disregard, neglect

   Note

   Where the viewing sense is about looking at something, this one is about noticing what unfolds.

3. 3
   timepiecenouncountable

   A portable or wearable timepiece, often worn on the wrist.

   The jeweler repaired the antique watch in under an hour.

   Several watches in the display case cost more than a car.

   UsageUse watch for a wristwatch or pocket watch. Clock includes wall clocks, bedside clocks, and clocks on phones.

   Similartimepiece

   Note

   The American novelist Winston Churchill's The Celebrity (1897) describes a heavy leather watch guard linking the pockets of a waistcoat, from the era of the pocket watch. Today the wrist has overtaken the pocket, and for many people a smartphone has replaced the watch altogether. Source

   Checked 2 Nov 2026 · 3 facts

   • Winston Churchill was an American novelist. en.wikipedia.org
   • The passage belongs to the period when pocket watches predominated. en.wikipedia.org
   • Wristwatches have superseded pocket watches as the mainstream form. museum.seiko.co.jp
4. 4
   look afterverbtransitive

   To mind, attend to, or guard a person or thing.

   Would you watch the store for an hour while I run errands?

   He watched the sheep through the cold mountain night.

   UsageCommon as a favor: can you watch my bag?, watch the kids. It sounds gentler and shorter-term than guard.

   Similarmind, guard, tend, supervise, protect

   Oppositeneglect

   Note

   Watching as minding: someone watches the kids for an afternoon or a suitcase for a minute, taking responsibility while the owner is away. Stephen Crane's Twelve O'Clock (1899) extends it to money, saying of rich men that they watch it. Source

   Checked 2 Nov 2026 · 2 facts

   • Twelve O'Clock is a story by Stephen Crane, published in 1899. stephencranesociety.com
   • The story applies watch to rich men's money; the speaker is the character Ben Roddle. en.wikisource.org
5. 5
   verbtransitive

   To be careful about someone or something, paying attention to possible danger or trouble.

   Watch your head on the low beam as you go down to the basement.

   Hikers should watch the loose rocks along the ridge.

   UsageMostly in warnings: watch your step, watch your head, watch your language.

   Similarmind, beware

   Oppositeignore, disregard

6. 6
   verbtransitive

   To stay alert and look out for something, such as danger or an expected event, usually followed by for.

   [S]he had reason to dread that her husband had formed a very criminal project of being revenged on Zeluco, and watched an opportunity of putting it in execution.

   1789, John Moore, Zeluco

   Note

   Today the thing awaited follows for, as in watch for the bus, but older English could put it right after the verb. John Moore's Zeluco (1789) has a husband who "watched an opportunity" of carrying out his revenge. Source

   Checked 2 Nov 2026 · 2 facts

   • John Moore wrote Zeluco, first published in 1789. valancourtbooks.com
   • Zeluco uses the older transitive construction “watched an opportunity” about a husband seeking revenge. en.wiktionary.org
7. 7
   nouncountable

   The act of seeing or viewing something over a period of time.

   The documentary is a tough watch, but an important one.

   Critics called the new series an easy watch for a lazy Sunday.

   UsageUsually with a judging adjective, like a good read: a good watch, a tough watch.

   Similarobservation, viewing

   Note

   A noun made from the viewing verb, at home in writing about films and television. Andrew Bullock's 2016 review of David Brent: Life on the Road calls the film "an uncomfortable watch at times." Charles P. Nemeth's Criminal Law (2004) prescribes "a quick watch" of Clockwork Orange. Source

   Checked 2 Nov 2026 · 4 facts

   • Andrew Bullock's 2016 review of David Brent: Life on the Road contains “an uncomfortable watch at times.” en.wiktionary.org
   • The quotation describes the film as “an uncomfortable watch at times.” en.wiktionary.org
   • Charles P. Nemeth wrote Criminal Law. books.google.com
   • Nemeth's Criminal Law uses “a quick watch” in reference to Clockwork Orange. en.wiktionary.org
8. 8
   nouncountable or uncountable

   The act or duty of guarding and observing someone or something, or the post where this is done.

   Police kept a close watch on the suspect's apartment all week.

   A careful watch was maintained over the prisoner.

   UsageUsually keep watch or stand watch; keep a close watch on someone means monitor them.

   Similarvigil

   Note

   Here the noun is at its most basic. Milton's shepherds are keeping watch by night, and Addison writes that all the long night their mournful watch they keep. Source

   Checked 2 Nov 2026 · 2 facts

   • Milton describes shepherds keeping watch by night. gutenberg.org
   • Addison wrote the quoted line about a mournful watch. upload.wikimedia.org

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