watchman
Americannoun
plural
watchmen-
a person who keeps guard over a building at night, to protect it from fire, vandals, or thieves.
-
(formerly) a person who guards or patrols the streets at night.
noun
-
a person employed to guard buildings or property
-
(formerly) a man employed to patrol or guard the streets at night
Other Word Forms
- watchmanly adjective
Etymology
Origin of watchman
late Middle English word dating back to 1350–1400; 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.
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
Since the studio was built before live-work spaces were common, Therrien had to design his modest apartment as a “watchman’s quarters” in order to adhere to building code.
From Los Angeles Times
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
For much of the next 12 years, soldiers and local watchmen patrolled the streets to ensure that shops remained open and penalize anyone they saw engaging in the usual festive excess.
From Salon
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
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.
