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Synonyms

keep watch

Idioms  

  1. Also,; watch over. Observe with continuous attention, especially to act as a sentinel or for protection. For example, Afraid that the wolves would return, she kept watch while the others slept, or They kept a close watch on the harbor, looking for signs of enemy ships, or, according to the Gospel of St. Luke (2:8): “And there were in the same country shepherds ... keeping watch over their flock by night.” [Late 1300s] Also see keep an eye out for.

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Dozens of Wisconsinites volunteer each spring to keep watch against poachers as the sturgeon make their way upriver to spawn; thousands more come to watch.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 20, 2026

To keep watch for rustlers, Brittain scans the classified ads in the back of Livestock Weekly for ones that look suspicious.

From Barron's • Feb. 13, 2026

Bindi had vanished during the Covid pandemic, and Jilly spent her daily walks looking for her, posting appeals on social media and asking people in Haddenham to keep watch for her.

From BBC • Dec. 24, 2025

They had considered giving that guy money to keep watch.

From Slate • Oct. 27, 2025

I put on my glasses, place my weapons in readiness, and settle down to keep watch.

From "The Hunger Games" by Suzanne Collins

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.