# watch

Pronunciation: say "WOCH" US /ˈwɔt͡ʃ/, UK /ˈwɒt͡ʃ/

## Verb

1. To look at, see, or view someone or something for a period of time.
   - Simple: To look at someone or something for a while.
   - _I watch the sunset from my balcony most evenings._
   - _They watched the parade pass through the main street._
2. To observe someone or something over a period of time, noticing or paying attention to what happens.
   - Simple: To keep your eyes on something so you notice what it does.
   - _Analysts watch the markets for early signs of a downturn._
   - _He watched her expression carefully as she read the letter._
4. To mind, attend to, or guard a person or thing.
   - Simple: To take care of someone or something and keep them safe.
   - _Would you watch the store for an hour while I run errands?_
   - _He watched the sheep through the cold mountain night._
5. To be careful about someone or something, paying attention to possible danger or trouble.
   - Simple: To be careful about something or someone that could cause harm, as in watch your step.
   - _Watch your head on the low beam as you go down to the basement._
   - _Hikers should watch the loose rocks along the ridge._
6. To stay alert and look out for something, such as danger or an expected event, usually followed by for.
   - Simple: To stay alert and look out for something that might happen, as in watch for the bus.
12. To stay awake beside a sick or dying person; to keep a vigil.
   - Simple: To stay awake beside someone who is sick or dying.
   - _The nuns watched beside the dying man until dawn._
   - _Relatives gathered to watch through her final hours._

## Noun

3. A portable or wearable timepiece, often worn on the wrist.
   - Simple: A small clock you wear on your wrist or carry with you.
   - _The jeweler repaired the antique watch in under an hour._
   - _Several watches in the display case cost more than a car._
7. The act of seeing or viewing something over a period of time.
   - Simple: The act of looking at something for a while.
   - _The documentary is a tough watch, but an important one._
   - _Critics called the new series an easy watch for a lazy Sunday._
8. The act or duty of guarding and observing someone or something, or the post where this is done.
   - Simple: The job of guarding or keeping an eye on someone or something, as in keep watch.
   - _Police kept a close watch on the suspect's apartment all week._
   - _A careful watch was maintained over the prisoner._
9. An official alert that conditions favor dangerous weather such as a hurricane, tornado, or flood in an area, issued before the threat is certain or close enough for a warning. *(North American)*
   - Simple: An official message that dangerous weather, like a big storm or flood, could happen in an area, so people should get ready.
   - _Forecasters issued a hurricane watch for the entire Gulf Coast on Tuesday._
   - _When the watch was upgraded to a warning, the school moved the children into the hallways._
10. A person or group assigned to keep guard or be on duty, including a ship's crew members sharing a shift.
   - Simple: The person or group whose job is to keep guard or be on duty at a given time.
   - _The harbor watch signaled the approaching fleet at dawn._
   - _A small watch guarded the treasury through the night._
11. A fixed period of duty for keeping guard, especially one of the shifts, usually four hours, on a ship.
   - Simple: A set period when someone is on duty keeping guard, such as a shift on a ship.
   - _He stood the night watch alone on the castle wall._
   - _The evening watch passed quietly, without any sign of the enemy._

## Verb

13. To remain awake; to be in a waking state rather than asleep. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: To stay awake instead of sleeping.

## Other meanings

- (noun) A period of wakefulness between the two phases of a biphasic sleep pattern: the first sleep and the second, morning sleep.
- (verb) Of a buoy or marker, to float correctly in its assigned position so as to serve as a guide.

## Origin

**Meanings 3, 7–11** — As a noun, it comes from Middle English "wacche", from Old English "wæċċe".
**Meanings 1–2, 4–6, 12–13** — Proto-Germanic *wakjaną and Proto-West Germanic *wakkjan led to Old English wæċċan, which became the Middle English verb wacchen.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/watch (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).