observer

American  

[uhb-zur-ver] / əbˈzɜr vər /

noun

• observers
  plural

1. someone or something that observes.

2. a delegate to an assembly or gathering, who is sent to observe and report but not to take part officially in its activities.

3. U.S. Air Force.

   1. a member of an aircrew, other than the pilot, holding an aeronautical rating.

   2. a person who maintains observation in an aircraft during flight.

4. Also called air observer, aircraft observer. U.S. Army. a person who serves in an aircraft as a reconnoiterer and directs artillery fire.

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observer British  

/ əbˈzɜːvə /

noun

1. a person or thing that observes

2. a person who attends a conference solely to note the proceedings

3. a person trained to identify aircraft, esp, formerly, a member of an aircrew

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• interobserver
  noun
• observership
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• observers
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of observer

First recorded in 1545–55; observe + -er ¹

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Explanation

An observer is someone who watches or pays attention to something — if you're an observer of current events, you probably watch the news and read the newspaper every day to keep up with what's going on. You can be an accidental observer of something, like pedestrians who happen to witness an accident and become observers of it. Another kind of observer is one who notices things deliberately, like political observers who watch and comment on various events. Many newspapers once had the word observer in their names, from this second sense of the word. The verb observe has a Latin root, observare, which means "watch over, note, heed, or attend to."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

observer observers

Kim Cooper, a close observer of downtown politics and co-owner of Esotouric tours, said that after a while, it seemed that the hotel’s owner, the Chetrit Group, “just locked the door.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 23, 2026

Doyle, who was a doctor himself, had been one of Bell’s students, serving as the clerk responsible for choosing patients for object lessons, giving the future author ample time to observe the observer.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 23, 2026

Saturday's itinerary varies widely depending on the location, from a music festival in Los Angeles and a march to the Supreme Court in Washington, to family-friendly workshops in Chicago and election observer training in Atlanta.

From Barron's ● Oct. 17, 2026

If the Catalan was a neutral observer, he would have relished a game of glorious chaos, the first half embellished by PSG before City mounted superb momentum after the break.

From BBC ● Oct. 14, 2026

If the raven were acting like a photon, then an observer on the train and the person standing still would have to agree on the value for the raven’s speed.

From "Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea" by Charles Seife

But it was slower than some peers to reinvest in expanding its business and cut lawyers when the bankruptcy work dried up, according to legal industry observers.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 22, 2026

He and 12 other House members successfully sued the Trump administration after he was blocked from entering a detention facility and has said he trained legal observers to document ICE abuses.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 22, 2026

The illuminated exhaust plumes were visible across the eastern United States, giving observers a remarkable view of the rocket's journey into space.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 18, 2026

Martinez's view has been echoed by many external observers and has also been mentioned by some inside Old Trafford.

From BBC ● Oct. 13, 2026

Anticipating criticism by observers outside prison, if not those within, he added, Of course I am not so foolish as to think that I can see it from exactly your point of view.

From "Newjack: Guarding Sing Sing" by Ted Conover

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Related Words

• bystander
• onlooker
• viewer
• watcher
• witness

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