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Showing results for night watchman. Search instead for nightwatchwoman.

night watchman

American  
Or night-watchman

noun

  1. watchman.

  2. 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.


night watchman British  

noun

  1. Also called: night watch. a person who keeps guard at night on a factory, public building, etc

  2. cricket a batsman sent in to bat to play out time when a wicket has fallen near the end of a day's play

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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.

See Examples For:

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

Reyne took over as night watchman, with his tent on the asphalt in the parking lot behind.

From Slate ● Mar. 25, 2026

Last month, Richard Abath, the night watchman who mistakenly allowed in the thieves, died at 57.

From New York Times ● Mar. 18, 2024

Prosecutors said the captain failed to have a night watchman or conduct fire drills as required by law.

From BBC ● Nov. 7, 2023

The night watchman had already made his rounds at 10 P.M. or so, and this was after 11 P.M.

From "Before We Were Free" by Julia Alvarez

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