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

But what’s even more critical, and far harder to manufacture, is the form of the program: the pacing, the visual construction, and the way the watcher experiences whatever they happen to be watching.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 22, 2026

The new staff forecasts “signaled robust growth driven by higher investment and exports, leading to stronger wage growth and a higher inflation forecast for 2026,” Societe Generale’s ECB watcher Anatoli Annenkov said in a note.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 19, 2025

David Bergman, a journalist and a long-time Bangladesh watcher, said the "very nature of the conviction could make it even more difficult" for Awami League to become a normal feature of Bangladeshi politics again.

From BBC • Nov. 17, 2025

He could see the outline of the watcher, but the sleeping men were below his vision.

From "The Pearl" by John Steinbeck

Related Words

• onlooker