watch fire

American

noun

a fire maintained during the night as a signal and for providing light and warmth for guards.

watch fire British

noun

a fire kept burning at night as a signal or for warmth and light by a person keeping watch

"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 watch fire

First recorded in 1795–1805

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.

Barton House was built in 1958 and has had "waking watch" fire marshals patrolling the building since May 2022.

From BBC • Dec. 2, 2023

Many leaseholders have also seen sharply increasing service charges, and some have had to pay for so-called "waking watch" fire wardens.

From BBC • Jan. 16, 2022

The stolid peasants who saw the Red Army drive bewildered Germans back are descendants of patient men who have straightened up to watch fire & sword swoop by for 30 generations.

From Time Magazine Archive

This was our last watch fire of the year, and there were reasons why I should remember it better than any of the others.

From The Troll Garden and Selected Stories by Cather, Willa Sibert

We had not time to cook, and the rain prevented the watch fire from burning; owing to which one of our asses was killed by the wolves.

From The Journal of a Mission to the Interior of Africa, in the Year 1805 by Whishaw, John

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