Adjacent Words

Watch definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

WATCH, n. [It is from the same root as wake, which see.]
1. Forbearance of sleep.
2. Attendance without sleep.
All the long night their mournful watch they keep.
3. Attention; close observation. Keep watch of the suspicious man.
4. Guard; vigilance for keeping or protecting against danger.
He kept both watch and ward.
5. A watchman, or watchmen; men set for a guard, either one person or more, set to espy the approach of an enemy or other danger, and to give an alarm or notice of such danger; a sentinel; a guard. He kept a watch at the gate.
Ye have a watch; go your way, make it as sure as ye can. Matthew 27.
6. The place where a guard is kept.
He upbraids I ago, that he made him brave me upon the watch.
7. Post or office of a watchman.
As I did stand my watch upon the hill--
8. A period of the night, in which one person or one set of persons stand as sentinels; or the time from one relief of sentinels to another. This period among the Israelites, seems to have been originally four hours, but was afterwards three hours, and there were four watches during the night. Hence we read in Scripture of the morning watch, and of the second, third and fourth watch; the evening watch commencing at six oclock, the second at nine, the third at twelve, and the fourth at three in the morning. Exodus 14. Matthew 14. Luke 12.
9. A small time piece or chronometer, to be carried in the pocket or about the person, in which the machinery is moved by a spring.
10. At sea, the space of time during which one set or division of the crew remain on deck to perform the necessary duties. This is different in different nations.
To be on the watch, to be looking steadily for some event.
WATCH, v.i.
1. To be awake; to be or continue without sleep.
I have two nights watchd with you.
2. To be attentive; to look with attention or steadiness. Watch and see when the man passes.
3. To look with expectation.
My soul waiteth for the Lord more than they that watch for the morning. Psalms 130.
4. To keep guard; to act as sentinel; to look for danger.
He gave signal to the minister that watchd.
5. To be attentive; to be vigilant in preparation for an event or trial, the time of whose arrival is uncertain.
Watch therefore; for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come. Matthew 24.
6. To be insidiously attentive; as, to watch for an opportunity to injure another.
7. To attend on the sick during the night; as, to watch with a man in a fever.
To watch over, to be cautiously observant of; to inspect, superintend and guard from error and danger. It is our duty constantly to watch over our own conduct and that of our children.
WATCH, v.t.
1. To guard; to have in keeping.
Flaming ministers watch and tend their charge.
2. To observe in ambush; to lie in wait for.
Saul also sent messengers to Davids house to watch him, and to slay him. 2 Samuel 19.
3. To tend; to guard.
Paris watched the flocks in the groves of Ida.
4. To observe in order to detect or prevent, or for some particular purpose; as, to watch a suspected person; to watch the progress of a bill in the legislature.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: a small portable timepiece [syn: watch, ticker]
2: a period of time (4 or 2 hours) during which some of a ship's crew are on duty
3: a purposeful surveillance to guard or observe [syn: watch, vigil]
4: the period during which someone (especially a guard) is on duty
5: a person employed to keep watch for some anticipated event [syn: lookout, lookout man, sentinel, sentry, watch, spotter, scout, picket]
6: the rite of staying awake for devotional purposes (especially on the eve of a religious festival) [syn: vigil, watch] v
1: look attentively; "watch a basketball game"
2: follow with the eyes or the mind; "Keep an eye on the baby, please!"; "The world is watching Sarajevo"; "She followed the men with the binoculars" [syn: watch, observe, follow, watch over, keep an eye on]
3: see or watch; "view a show on television"; "This program will be seen all over the world"; "view an exhibition"; "Catch a show on Broadway"; "see a movie" [syn: watch, view, see, catch, take in]
4: observe with attention; "They watched as the murderer was executed" [syn: watch, look on]
5: be vigilant, be on the lookout or be careful; "Watch out for pickpockets!" [syn: watch, look out, watch out]
6: observe or determine by looking; "Watch how the dog chases the cats away"
7: find out, learn, or determine with certainty, usually by making an inquiry or other effort; "I want to see whether she speaks French"; "See whether it works"; "find out if he speaks Russian"; "Check whether the train leaves on time" [syn: determine, check, find out, see, ascertain, watch, learn]

Merriam Webster's

I. verb Etymology: Middle English wacchen, from Old English wæccan — more at wake Date: before 12th century intransitive verb 1. a. to keep vigil as a devotional exercise b. to be awake during the night 2. a. to be attentive or vigilant b. to keep guard 3. a. to keep someone or something under close observation b. to observe as a spectator <the country watched as stocks fell sharply> 4. to be expectant ; wait <watch for the signal> transitive verb 1. to keep under guard 2. a. to observe closely in order to check on action or change <being watched by the police> b. to look at ; observe <sat and watched the crowd> c. to look on at <watch television> <watch a ball game> 3. a. to take care of ; tend b. to be careful of <watches his diet> 4. to be on the alert for ; bide <watched her opportunity> II. noun Date: before 12th century 1. a. the act of keeping awake to guard, protect, or attend b. obsolete the state of being wakeful c. a wake over a dead body d. a state of alert and continuous attention e. close observation ; surveillance f. a notice or bulletin that alerts the public to the possibility of severe weather conditions occurring in the near future <a winter storm watch> 2. a. any of the definite divisions of the night made by ancient peoples b. one of the indeterminate intervals marking the passage of night — usually used in plural <the silent watches of the night> 3. a. lookout, watchman b. archaic the office or function of a sentinel or guard 4. a. a body of soldiers or sentinels making up a guard b. a watchman or body of watchmen formerly assigned to patrol the streets of a town at night, announce the hours, and act as police 5. a. (1) a portion of time during which a part of a ship's company is on duty (2) the part of a ship's company required to be on duty during a particular watch (3) a sailor's assigned duty period b. a period of duty ; shift c. a term as holder especially of an overseeing or managerial office <the business grew on her watch> 6. a portable timepiece designed to be worn (as on the wrist) or carried in the pocket — compare clock

Britannica Concise

Portable timepiece designed to be worn on the wrist or carried in the pocket. The first watches appeared shortly after 1500, when the mainspring (see spring) was invented as a replacement for weights in driving clocks. The progressive miniaturization of electronic components in recent decades has made possible the development of all-electronic watches, in which the necessary transistors, resistors, capacitors, and other elements are all on one or several miniature integrated circuits, or chips. Such circuitry enables them to perform several timekeeping functions and also makes possible digital readouts of the time.

NOAA Weather Glossary

Forecast issued well inadvance to alert the public of the possibility of a particular weather related hazard(e.g. tornado watch, flash flood watch). The occurrence, location and timing may still beuncertain.

Oxford Reference Dictionary

v. & n. --v. 1 tr. keep the eyes fixed on; look at attentively. 2 tr. a keep under observation; follow observantly. b monitor or consider carefully; pay attention to (have to watch my weight; watched their progress with interest). 3 intr. (often foll. by for) be in an alert state; be vigilant; take heed (watch for the holes in the road; watch for an opportunity). 4 intr. (foll. by over) look after; take care of. 5 intr. archaic remain awake for devotions etc. --n. 1 a small portable timepiece for carrying on one's person. 2 a state of alert or constant observation or attention. 3 Naut. a a four-hour spell of duty. b (in full starboard or port watch) each of the halves, divided according to the position of the bunks, into which a ship's crew is divided to take alternate watches. 4 hist. a watchman or group of watchmen, esp. patrolling the streets at night. 5 a former division of the night. 6 a period of wakefulness at night. 7 hist. irregular Highland troops in the 18th c. Phrases and idioms: on the watch waiting for an expected or feared occurrence. set the watch Naut. station sentinels etc. watch-case the outer metal case enclosing the works of a watch. watch-chain a metal chain for securing a pocket-watch. Watch Committee hist. (in the UK) the committee of a county borough council dealing with policing etc. watch-glass 1 a glass disc covering the dial of a watch. 2 a similar disc used in a laboratory etc. to hold material for use in experiments. watching brief see BRIEF. watch it (or oneself) colloq. be careful. watch-night 1 the last night of the year. 2 a religious service held on this night. watch out 1 (often foll. by for) be on one's guard. 2 as a warning of immediate danger. watch-spring the mainspring of a watch. watch one's step proceed cautiously. watch-strap esp. Brit. a strap for fastening a watch on the wrist. watch-tower a tower from which observation can be kept. Derivatives: watchable adj. watcher n. (also in comb.). Etymology: OE wæcce (n.), rel. to WAKE(1)

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Watch Watch (w[o^]ch), n. [OE. wacche, AS. w[ae]cce, fr. wacian to wake; akin to D. wacht, waak, G. wacht, wache. [root]134. See Wake, v. i. ] 1. The act of watching; forbearance of sleep; vigil; wakeful, vigilant, or constantly observant attention; close observation; guard; preservative or preventive vigilance; formerly, a watching or guarding by night. Shepherds keeping watch by night. --Milton. All the long night their mournful watch they keep. --Addison. Note: Watch was formerly distinguished from ward, the former signifying a watching or guarding by night, and the latter a watching, guarding, or protecting by day Hence, they were not unfrequently used together, especially in the phrase to keep watch and ward, to denote continuous and uninterrupted vigilance or protection, or both watching and guarding. This distinction is now rarely recognized, watch being used to signify a watching or guarding both by night and by day, and ward, which is now rarely used, having simply the meaning of guard, or protection, without reference to time. Still, when she slept, he kept both watch and ward. --Spenser. Ward, guard, or custodia, is chiefly applied to the daytime, in order to apprehend rioters, and robbers on the highway . . . Watch, is properly applicable to the night only, . . . and it begins when ward ends, and ends when that begins. --Blackstone. 2. One who watches, or those who watch; a watchman, or a body of watchmen; a sentry; a guard. Pilate said unto them, Ye have a watch; go your way, make it as sure as ye can. --Matt. xxvii. 65. 3. The post or office of a watchman; also, the place where a watchman is posted, or where a guard is kept. He upbraids Iago, that he made him Brave me upon the watch. --Shak. 4. The period of the night during which a person does duty as a sentinel, or guard; the time from the placing of a sentinel till his relief; hence, a division of the night. I did stand my watch upon the hill. --Shak. Might we but hear . . . Or whistle from the lodge, or village cock Count the night watches to his feathery dames. --Milton. 5. A small timepiece, or chronometer, to be carried about the person, the machinery of which is moved by a spring.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Watch Watch, v. i. [Cf. AS. w[oe]ccan, wacian. [root]134. See Watch, n., Wake, v. i. ] 1. To be awake; to be or continue without sleep; to wake; to keep vigil. I have two nights watched with you. --Shak. Couldest thou not watch one hour ? --Mark xiv. 37. 2. To be attentive or vigilant; to give heed; to be on the lookout; to keep guard; to act as sentinel. Take ye heed, watch and pray. --Mark xiii. 33. The Son gave signal high To the bright minister that watched. --Milton. 3. To be expectant; to look with expectation; to wait; to seek opportunity. My soul waiteth for the Lord more than they that watch for the morning. --Ps. cxxx. 6. 4. To remain awake with any one as nurse or attendant; to attend on the sick during the night; as, to watch with a man in a fever. 5. (Naut.) To serve the purpose of a watchman by floating properly in its place; -- said of a buoy. To watch over, to be cautiously observant of; to inspect, superintend, and guard.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Watch Watch, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Watched; p. pr. & vb. n. Watching.] 1. To give heed to; to observe the actions or motions of, for any purpose; to keep in view; not to lose from sight and observation; as, to watch the progress of a bill in the legislature. Saul also sent messengers unto David's house to watch him, and to slay him. --1 Sam. xix. 11 I must cool a little, and watch my opportunity. --Landor. In lazy mood I watched the little circles die. --Longfellow. 2. To tend; to guard; to have in keeping. And flaming ministers, to watch and tend Their earthy charge. --Milton. Paris watched the flocks in the groves of Ida. --Broome.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Alarm A*larm" ([.a]*l[aum]rm"), n. [F. alarme, It. all' arme to arms ! fr. L. arma, pl., arms. See Arms, and cf. Alarum.] 1. A summons to arms, as on the approach of an enemy. Arming to answer in a night alarm. --Shak. 2. Any sound or information intended to give notice of approaching danger; a warning sound to arouse attention; a warning of danger. Sound an alarm in my holy mountain. --Joel ii. 1. 3. A sudden attack; disturbance; broil. [R.] ``These home alarms.'' --Shak. Thy palace fill with insults and alarms. --Pope. 4. Sudden surprise with fear or terror excited by apprehension of danger; in the military use, commonly, sudden apprehension of being attacked by surprise. Alarm and resentment spread throughout the camp. --Macaulay. 5. A mechanical contrivance for awaking persons from sleep, or rousing their attention; an alarum. Alarm bell, a bell that gives notice on danger. Alarm clock or watch, a clock or watch which can be so set as to ring or strike loudly at a prearranged hour, to wake from sleep, or excite attention. Alarm gauge, a contrivance attached to a steam boiler for showing when the pressure of steam is too high, or the water in the boiler too low. Alarm post, a place to which troops are to repair in case of an alarm. Syn: Fright; affright; terror; trepidation; apprehension; consternation; dismay; agitation; disquiet; disquietude. Usage: Alarm, Fright, Terror, Consternation. These words express different degrees of fear at the approach of danger. Fright is fear suddenly excited, producing confusion of the senses, and hence it is unreflecting. Alarm is the hurried agitation of feeling which springs from a sense of immediate and extreme exposure. Terror is agitating and excessive fear, which usually benumbs the faculties. Consternation is overwhelming fear, and carries a notion of powerlessness and amazement. Alarm agitates the feelings; terror disorders the understanding and affects the will; fright seizes on and confuses the sense; consternation takes possession of the soul, and subdues its faculties. See Apprehension.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

I. LOOKING AND PAYING ATTENTION (watches, watching, watched) Frequency: The word is one of the 700 most common words in English. Please look at category 15 to see if the expression you are looking for is shown under another headword. 1. If you watch someone or something, you look at them, usually for a period of time, and pay attention to what is happening. The man was standing in his doorway watching him... He watched the barman prepare the beer he had ordered... Chris watched him sipping his brandy... I watched as Amy ate a few nuts. VERB: V n, V n inf, V n -ing, V 2. If you watch something on television or an event such as a sports match, you spend time looking at it, especially when you see it from the beginning to the end. I'd stayed up late to watch the film... They spent a great deal of time watching television. VERB: V n, V n 3. If you watch a situation or event, you pay attention to it or you are aware of it, but you do not influence it. Human rights groups have been closely watching the case... Annoyed commuters could only watch as the departure time ticked by. VERB: V n, V 4. If you watch people, especially children or animals, you are responsible for them, and make sure that they are not in danger. Parents can't be expected to watch their children 24 hours a day. VERB: V n 5. If you watch someone, you follow them secretly or spy on them. Ella was scared that someone was watching her... VERB: V n 6. If you tell someone to watch a particular person or thing, you are warning them to be careful that the person or thing does not get out of control or do something unpleasant. You really ought to watch these quiet types... If you're watching the calories, don't have mayonnaise. VERB: V n, V n 7. A watch is a period of carefully looking and listening, often while other people are asleep and often as a military duty, so that you can warn them of danger or an attack. I had the first watch that May evening. N-COUNT 8. If someone keeps watch, they look and listen all the time, while other people are asleep or doing something else, so that they can warn them of danger or an attack. Jose, as usual, had climbed a tree to keep watch. PHRASE: V inflects 9. If you keep watch on events or a situation, you pay attention to what is happening, so that you can take action at the right moment. US officials have been keeping close watch on the situation. PHRASE: V inflects, usu PHR on n 10. You say 'watch it' in order to warn someone to be careful, especially when you want to threaten them about what will happen if they are not careful. 'Now watch it, Patsy,' the Sergeant told her. PHRASE 11. If someone is on watch, they have the job of carefully looking and listening, often while other people are asleep and often as a military duty, so that they can warn them of danger or an attack. Apart from two men on watch in the engine-room, everyone was asleep. PHRASE: v-link PHR, PHR after v 12. If you are on the watch for something, you are expecting it to happen and you therefore pay attention to events so that you will notice it when it does happen. Environmentalists will be on the watch for damage to wildlife. = on the lookout PHRASE: v-link PHR, oft PHR for n 13. If someone is being kept under watch, they are being guarded or observed all the time. PHRASE: PHR after v, v-link PHR 14. You say to someone 'you watch' or 'just watch' when you are predicting that something will happen, and you are very confident that it will happen as you say. You watch. Things will get worse before they get better. PHRASE 15. to watch your step: see step II. INSTRUMENT THAT TELLS THE TIME (watches) Frequency: The word is one of the 3000 most common words in English. A watch is a small clock which you wear on a strap on your wrist, or on a chain. N-COUNT

International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

woch ('ashmurah, 'ashmoreth; phulake): A division of the night. The night was originally divided into three watches (Jud 7:19), but later into four, as we find in the New Testament (Mt 14:25; Mr 6:48). We do not know the limits of the watches in the first division, but the middle watch probably began two hours before midnight and ended two hours after. The fourfold division was according to the Roman system, each of which was a fourth part of the night.

See TIME.

"Watch" is also the guard placed on watch (mishmar, Ne 4:9; koustodia, from Latin custodia, Mt 27:65,66; 28:11). It sometimes refers to the act of watching, as in 2Ki 11:6,7 (mishmereth); Lu 2:8 (phulake).

"Watch" is also used figuratively, as in Ps 141:3 for restraint: "Set a watch, O Yahweh, before my mouth" (shomrah).

See WARD.

H. Porter

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

I. n. 1. Vigil, watching, wakefulness, watchfulness, outlook. 2. Inspection, observation, attention. 3. Guard, sentry, watchman. 4. Pocket timepiece. II. v. n. 1. Wake, be awake, keep awake, not be asleep, keep vigil. 2. Keep guard, keep watch and ward, stand guard, be on guard, be on the watch, act as sentinel, be on the lookout, look sharp, keep a sharp lookout, have all one's eyes about one. 3. Wait, look, be expectant, seek opportunity. III. v. a. 1. Guard, tend, attend, have in keeping. 2. Mark, observe, eye, keep the eye on, keep an eye upon, keep in view, not lose sight of.

Moby Thesaurus

Argus, Big Ben, Charley, abide, airplane spotter, alarm clock, alarm watch, anchor watch, and listen, animadvert, appear, assister, astronomical clock, atomic clock, attend, attend to, await, baby-sit, bakehead, be at, be present at, be vigilant, be watchful, bevy, bide, bit, black gang, boilerman, box chronometer, bug, bungs, cabin boy, calculate on, calendar clock, calendar watch, care for, case, catch, chaperon, charm, cherish, chips, chronograph, chronometer, chronopher, chronoscope, clepsydra, clock, clock movement, clocks, clockworks, cloud, come to, commissary steward, complement, conserve, count on, covey, cuckoo clock, custodianship, custody, day shift, deckhand, deckie, dekko, dial, digital clock, digital watch, do, dogwatch, eagle eye, electric clock, electronic clock, espial, espionage, examine, eye, eyeball, fire patrolman, fire warden, fireguard, fireman, flight, flock, follow, forestall, forward observer, foster, full time, gaggle, gape, gaze at, gnomon, go to, grandfather clock, graveyard shift, guard, guardedness, guardianship, gun loader, gunner, half time, half-hour glass, half-minute glass, hand, have a looksee, heed, hive, hold in view, horologe, horologium, hospital steward, hourglass, hunter, independent-seconds watch, inspect, invigilation, isochronon, journeyman, keep alert, keep guard, keep in sight, keep in view, keep under observation, keep vigil, keep watch, keep watch over, landing signalman, lobster trick, look, look about one, look after, look at, look for, look forward to, look lively, look on, look out, look out for, look sharp, look to, look upon, looking, lookout, lookout man, mail orderly, make a reconnaissance, marine chronometer, mark, mark time, matronize, metronome, mind, minister to, monitoring, mother, mount guard, murmuration, navigator, never nod, night shift, night watchman, note, notice, nurse, nurture, observance, observation, observe, ogle, oiler, overtime, part time, patrol, patroller, patrolman, peeled eye, peep, picket, plague, play the spy, police, preserve, proctoring, protege, provide for, prudence, purser, put under surveillance, qui vive, radio operator, reckon on, reconnoiter, regard, relay, remark, repeater, respect, ride herd on, roundsman, roustabout, sandglass, scan, scout, scout out, scrutinize, scrutiny, see, see after, see to, sentinel, sentry, sharp eye, shepherd, shift, show up, sit in, sit up for, skein, snip, snips, sparks, split schedule, split shift, spotter, spring, spy, spy out, spy upon, spying, stake out, stand guard, stand sentinel, stay up for, steward, stewardess, stewardship, stint, stoker, stop, sundial, sunrise watch, support, surveillance, swarm, sweat, sweat it out, sweat out, swing shift, tab, take care of, take charge of, take in, take note, take notice, telltale, tend, ticker, time, time switch, timekeeper, timepiece, timepieces, timer, torpedoman, tour, tour of duty, tout, trick, turn, turn of work, turn up, turnip, vedette, view, viewing, vigil, vigilance, visit, wait, wait for, wait on, wait up for, ward, wariness, watch and wait, watch and ward, watch out, watch out for, watch over, watcher, watchful eye, watchfulness, watching, watchkeeper, watchman, watchworks, weather eye, witness, witnessing, work shift, wristwatch, yeoman