watchman
Americannoun
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watchmen
plural
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a person who keeps guard over a building at night, to protect it from fire, vandals, or thieves.
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(formerly) a person who guards or patrols the streets at night.
noun
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a person employed to guard buildings or property
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(formerly) a man employed to patrol or guard the streets at night
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of watchman
late Middle English word dating back to 1350–1400; see origin at watch, man
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.
See Examples For:
El Charro, a common term for a Mexican cowboy, is no ordinary watchman.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 27, 2026
Reyne took over as night watchman, with his tent on the asphalt in the parking lot behind.
From Slate ● Mar. 25, 2026
It was while working as a night watchman on a dive boat that Reginald was encouraged to venture into the water.
From BBC ● Dec. 9, 2023
George Zimmerman, a self-appointed neighborhood watchman who thought Martin looked suspicious, was acquitted after a trial in which his attorneys essentially used the law as a defense.
From Seattle Times ● Apr. 18, 2023
As Ida Wells-Barnett cautioned, it was necessary to be as “alert as the watchman on the wall.”
From "A Few Red Drops: The Chicago Race Riot of 1919" by Claire Hartfield
In cellars and basements across the city, African-Americans hosted parties where white and black New Yorkers regularly shared the dance floor, imbibed together and sometimes got into fisticuffs that prompted the intervention of neighborhood watchmen.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 13, 2026
It was those watchmen who came to the boathouse to report that they’d spotted a man in a waterproof jacket drag the Zodiac up the embankment.
From Slate ● Jul. 22, 2025
Wealthy people employed "thief takers" to guard their property, whilst ordinary folk had to make do with volunteer watchmen, who focused on the more basic task of keeping order.
From BBC ● Jun. 14, 2025
A voice then yelled out: “I’m one of you!” and out stepped the Russian soldier, who had mistaken the neighborhood watchmen for fellow Russians.
From New York Times ● Dec. 3, 2022
The cannery watchmen look out and blink at the morning light.
From "Cannery Row" by John Steinbeck
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
