watchman

noun

ˈwäch-mən How to pronounce watchman (audio)
Definition of watchmannext
1
as in custodian
a person or group that watches over someone or something hired a watchman to patrol the factory at night

Synonyms & Similar Words

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2
as in keeper
a person who takes care of a property sometimes for an absent owner a watchman lives next door to scare off prowlers

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of watchman Ideas like reparative journalism and sousveillance — an antonym for surveillance, concerning watching the watchmen in a reversal of power — earn fleeting mentions, but are never the focus of actual inquiry. — Siddhant Adlakha, Variety, 14 Mar. 2026 Francis Ford Coppola meditates on the question of who is watching the watchmen in The Conversation, a neo-noir mystery thriller about the human side of surveillance. — Kevin Jacobsen, Entertainment Weekly, 6 June 2026 Stingley died the same year as Trayvon Martin, a Black Florida teen shot to death by a neighborhood volunteer watchman, who was acquitted in 2013. — Megan O’Matz, ProPublica, 16 Jan. 2026 Nearly 1,400 votes were cast for Elgin High School’s new mascot, with 558 for a lion, 421 for watchmen/timekeepers and 417 for a fox, according to information provided by Principal Avelira Rodriguez Gonzalez. — Mike Danahey, Chicago Tribune, 12 May 2026 See All Example Sentences for watchman
Recent Examples of Synonyms for watchman
  1. custodian
  2. keeper
  3. guard
  4. janitor
  5. guardian
  6. warden
  7. sentinel
  8. caretaker
Noun
  • The business solution provider, on the other hand, acts as the logical custodian of critical processes.
    — Vicente Pava, Forbes.com, 2 July 2026
  • Williams has never lacked interpreters, custodians, handlers, or rescuers with pruning shears.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 26 June 2026
Definition of custodian
Noun
  • Norwegian keeper Orjan Nyland dove to his left to stop Guimarães’ attempt, Brazil’s first unsuccessful World Cup penalty shot, not including shootouts, since 1986.
    — Sean Gregory, Time, 6 July 2026
  • The best opportunity for Portugal came through Nuno Mendes, whose deflected shot rocketed off the crossbar after cleanly beating Spanish keeper Unai Simón.
    — Kyle Feldscher, CNN Money, 6 July 2026
Definition of keeper
Noun
  • Former Houston standout guard Kingston Flemings hit a deep jumper — his toe was ruled on the 3-point line — with three seconds left in OT, slicing Utah’s lead to one, 100-99.
    — Gary Bedore, Kansas City Star, 5 July 2026
  • Tempers flared late in the fourth quarter when Kings center Dylan Cardwell and Nets guard Egor Demin wrestled for a loose ball.
    — Jason Anderson, Sacbee.com, 5 July 2026
Definition of guard
Noun
  • The janitor of the school is more important than the principal.
    — Mac Engel June 29, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 30 June 2026
  • Broadwater, then 20, had grown up as one of six children of a janitor who worked for Syracuse University.
    — Joaquin Sapien, ProPublica, 30 June 2026
Definition of janitor
Noun
  • What parents can do Whether or not Pennsylvania’s bell-to-bell ban bill becomes law, parents and guardians remain central to helping children develop healthy phone habits and communication skills.
    — Elizabeth Dowdell, The Conversation, 6 July 2026
  • If the school declares an emergency, students may be provided with prepared text messages to keep their parents or guardians informed.
    — Chaewon Chung Updated July 6, Sacbee.com, 6 July 2026
Definition of guardian
Noun
  • Judge McCaslin weighed in on the laptop issue during Monday's hearing, saying that the prison warden would not allow Murdaugh to keep a laptop in his cell due to safety concerns.
    — Sarah Rumpf-Whitten, FOXNews.com, 30 June 2026
  • McAndrew served as warden of Florida State Prison in the mid-’90s, when Florida still used the electric chair.
    — Pamela Colloff, ProPublica, 30 June 2026
Definition of warden
Noun
  • The observatory has spent over two decades as a sort of orbital sentinel that scans the cosmos for gamma-ray bursts, ready to quickly point itself at the short-lived — but insanely powerful — space explosions at a moment's notice.
    — Tariq Malik, Space.com, 26 June 2026
  • Meanwhile, in Ischia Ponte, the Castello Aragonese stands sentinel over a causeway that connects it to the rest of the island.
    — Laura Itzkowitz, Travel + Leisure, 24 June 2026
Definition of sentinel
Noun
  • The congregation started to arrive at the usual time, about half an hour before Mass on a recent Saturday afternoon, the old church slowly filling with the descendants and caretakers of a place of great serenity but also great loss.
    — Andrew Carter, Chicago Tribune, 5 July 2026
  • Jack Nicholson plays the new caretaker of a remote Colorado hotel in the offseason, bringing his family and hoping to overcome writer's block.
    — Brian Truitt, USA Today, 1 July 2026
Definition of caretaker

Browse Nearby Words

watching over
watchman
watchmen
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Cite this Entry

“Watchman.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/watchman. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of watchman for Spanish Speakers

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