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

As one longtime Berkshire watcher told Barron’s, why publicly announce the restart of a repurchase program—which isn’t required from a regulatory standpoint—and then repurchase just a minimal amount of stock?

From Barron's • May 3, 2026

But Mike O’Rourke, chief market strategist at JonesTrading and a noted Buffett watcher, said he’s not worried.

From MarketWatch • May 1, 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

I felt like a watcher while Hirohito chased Vonetta and Fern around.

From "One Crazy Summer" by Rita Williams-Garcia

Related Words

• onlooker