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:
Reyne took over as night watchman, with his tent on the asphalt in the parking lot behind.
From Slate ● Mar. 25, 2026
At the time of the record destruction, which was revealed by a night watchman who saw it happening and saved some documents, UBS was under scrutiny for its wartime activities.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 3, 2026
He claimed the duo pushed past the night watchman, collected the artwork and drove to a block of flats in the Isle of Dogs where Mr Love unloaded the Banksy.
From BBC ● Sep. 15, 2025
Last month, Richard Abath, the night watchman who mistakenly allowed in the thieves, died at 57.
From New York Times ● Mar. 18, 2024
There might be a cure and if there is sure he might be able to get a job as a watchman where he doesn’t have to be lifting and hauling.
From "Angela's Ashes: A Memoir" by Frank McCourt
Some people had their own fire buckets - and those who could afford it paid insurance companies with watchmen to raise the alarm and crews to put out the fires.
From BBC ● Oct. 21, 2024
In Edinburgh, he impressed night watchmen by lighting his pipe with a streetlamp.
From Washington Post ● Jan. 24, 2023
The watchmen took the soldier to a school and called Mr. Karamalikov.
From New York Times ● Dec. 3, 2022
We had well-trained dogs and watchmen patrolling our property, which had seven-foot walls that were topped with spiked glass shards.
From Salon ● Feb. 20, 2019
Even the police and night watchmen are getting in on the act.
From "The Diary of a Young Girl" by Anne Frank
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
