watcher

American  

[woch-er] / ˈwɒtʃ ər /

noun

1. a person who watches or who keeps watch.

2. an analytic observer of trends, fashions, events, celebrities, or the like.

   Fashion watchers will have noted that pleats have become popular again.

3. a professional or experienced observer and analyst of political and historic trends and events, countries, or the like.

   China watchers in the State Department predict a change in that country's trade policy.

4. poll watcher.

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watcher British  

/ ˈwɒtʃə /

noun

1. a person who watches

2. a person who maintains a vigil at the bedside of an invalid

3. a representative of a candidate or party stationed at a poll on election day to watch out for fraud

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Other Word Forms

• underwatcher noun

Etymology

Origin of watcher

First recorded in 1500–10; watch + -er ¹

Example Sentences

“It’s too early to call Putin, but they still have his number on speed-dial,” says Ellen Wald, president of energy market watcher Transversal Consulting.

From Barron's • Mar. 5, 2026

"It was an intelligence failure," says Cheong Seong-chang, a North Korea watcher and vice-president at Sejong Institute who was an early proponent of the theory that Ju Ae will become the heir.

From BBC • Mar. 1, 2026

“Unless the labor market weakens further, the Fed appears content to wait for tariff inflation to fade before resuming cuts,” SEB’s Fed watcher Elisabet Kopelman said in a note.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 29, 2026

But what matters for Fed independence is that Hassett is a true believer in it, says Harris, the Fed watcher.

From Barron's • Dec. 11, 2025

I was just a watcher, but I was proud of the garden, as if it were mine.

From "Seedfolks" by Paul Fleischman

Related Words

• onlooker