night watchman
Americannoun
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Cricket. a batsman who is sent in to bat just before the end of a day's play and continues his innings on the next day of play.
noun
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Also called: night watch. a person who keeps guard at night on a factory, public building, etc
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cricket a batsman sent in to bat to play out time when a wicket has fallen near the end of a day's play
Etymology
Origin of night watchman
First recorded in 1860–65
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.
Dick ordered Edward and Glenn Juenke, the night watchman, to begin evacuating Bug House and two other cabins by the river.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 18, 2026
A night watchman alone would not make or break a new development, but this is one of many such provisions, often motivated by fire safety, that stack up in the code every three years.
From Slate • Feb. 28, 2025
He is accused of failing to train his crew, conduct fire drills and post a roving night watchman on the boat when the fire ignited.
From Seattle Times • Nov. 10, 2022
But the night watchman caught sight of him and threw him out, accepting the excuse that he had been locked in by accident.
From BBC • Oct. 5, 2022
Elizabeth had, of course, been invited before by other people—the night watchman, for example—but she had always said no.
From "Go Tell It on the Mountain" by James Baldwin
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.
