watcher

American  

[woch-er] / ˈwɒtʃ ər /

noun

• watchers
  plural

1. a person who watches or who keeps watch.

2. an analytic observer of trends, fashions, events, celebrities, or the like.

   Fashion watchers will have noted that pleats have become popular again.

3. a professional or experienced observer and analyst of political and historic trends and events, countries, or the like.

   China watchers in the State Department predict a change in that country's trade policy.

4. poll watcher.

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watcher British  

/ ˈwɒtʃə /

noun

1. a person who watches

2. a person who maintains a vigil at the bedside of an invalid

3. a representative of a candidate or party stationed at a poll on election day to watch out for fraud

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• underwatcher
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• watchers
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of watcher

First recorded in 1500–10; watch + -er ¹

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

watcher watchers

For even a modest Federal Reserve watcher, those words probably call to mind Chairman Kevin Warsh’s oft-stated hostility to forward guidance on interest rates.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 25, 2026

It doesn’t take a royal watcher to connect those dots.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 21, 2026

The superhero film fronted by Tom Holland and real-life wife Zendaya has brought in more than $2 billion globally since its July 31 release, according to industry watcher Exhibitor Relations.

From Barron's ● Aug. 16, 2026

Seven-time Grammy winner Madonna is a regular watcher of Chelsea's men's and women's teams and was at Stamford Bridge in October when the men's side beat Liverpool 2-1 in the Premier League.

From BBC ● Jun. 9, 2026

"We would also have a watcher stand with the body, so the deceased would not have to be alone. We can't be there for the burial, of course," Mrs. Cohen says.

From "Girl in the Blue Coat" by Monica Hesse

Fed watchers are focused in particular on how Warsh communicates the central bank’s strategy, with some critics saying that he has been giving “nonanswers.”

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 28, 2026

As the Orange County whale watchers were enjoying their unusual brush with warm-water orcas, a kayaker to the north had a brush with a great white shark.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 28, 2026

I’ve seen this myself over the years, working with nonpartisan efforts to register young adults and train them as poll watchers.

From Salon ● Oct. 20, 2026

For Formula One watchers, Lego built life-size, drivable replicas of the teams’ race cars, which drivers took around the circuit at last year’s Miami Grand Prix.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 18, 2026

The watchers loomed like phantoms, silent and shadowed, their faces just blurs.

From "The City Beautiful" by Aden Polydoros

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Related Words

• onlooker

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