watchtower

American  

[woch-tou-er] / ˈwɒtʃˌtaʊ ər /

noun

• watchtowers
  plural

1. a tower on which a sentinel keeps watch.

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watchtower British  

/ ˈwɒtʃˌtaʊə /

noun

1. a tower on which a sentry keeps watch

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• watchtowers
  plural

Etymology

Origin of watchtower

First recorded in 1535–45; watch + tower ¹

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

watchtower watchtowers

It is effectively a watchtower or control tower for all your data.

From Barron's ● Mar. 27, 2026

Suddenly the lines about needing a hermit in the woods as much as a preacher in the pulpit came so much more alive from the endless horizon atop a watchtower.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 5, 2026

It was followed by the watchtower and an electricity pole.

From BBC ● Dec. 25, 2024

There’s still a watchtower overlooking everything that we do.

From Slate ● Dec. 13, 2023

As soon as the craft had landed, Lord Asriel leapt out and ran to join King Ogunwe on the western watchtower, ignoring Mrs. Coulter entirely.

From "The Amber Spyglass" by Philip Pullman

The property has been reported to feature a Portuguese Colonial-style villa with a large party room, along with watchtowers and 12 cannons that give the retreat a decidedly fortresslike appearance.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 1, 2026

But new watchtowers along that border have pushed escapees to unconventional and riskier routes.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 24, 2026

But with high fences, watchtowers and armed guards, "there was no way to leave", until he was released with 5,400 other Chinese nationals since the February crackdown.

From Barron's ● Oct. 14, 2025

Five years later, two men escaped from a maximum-security Wisconsin prison that once held Jeffrey Dahmer, fleeing early one morning when four of the facility’s five watchtowers were unmanned.

From New York Times ● Feb. 2, 2024

In the dark, the searchlights and watchtowers are a menacing reminder that we’re locked away.

From "Internment" by Samira Ahmed