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 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 Désir explained the various Gede spirits, like Baron Samedi, the spirit that takes souls to the afterlife and Brav Gede the watchman of the graveyard. — Miami Herald, 12 Nov. 2025 The old man of the night, the watchman not yet in bed. — Literary Hub, 19 Sep. 2025 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
  • More from this past week • A transgender woman who works as a custodian at the University of Kansas was reported for using the wrong restroom under a new state law.
    — Matthew Kelly, Kansas City Star, 12 Aug. 2026
  • Zuckerberg is referencing OpenAI and Anthropic, which operate on the premise that hyper-smart AI is both inevitable and apocalyptic—and therefore safe only in the hands of the wisest custodians (themselves).
    — Will Oremus, The Atlantic, 12 Aug. 2026
Definition of custodian
Noun
  • The 23-year-old has been lined up to be the third-choice keeper this season.
    — Chris Weatherspoon, New York Times, 18 Aug. 2026
  • Seattle keeper Andrew Thomas had the only save of the match on a shot by Müller in the 52nd minute.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 17 Aug. 2026
Definition of keeper
Noun
  • Sun-protective clothing has long had an audience with swimmers, surfers and young children donning the trusty rash guard, as well as hikers and athletes.
    — Ramishah Maruf, CNN Money, 16 Aug. 2026
  • Lamont over the past eight years has displayed visionary leadership and has adhered to Connecticut’s ‘fiscal guard rails’ rules limiting spending growth and directing surplus revenues toward reserves and pension debt.
    — Kevin McNabola, Hartford Courant, 16 Aug. 2026
Definition of guard
Noun
  • The janitor then told nurses of the discovery, and police were notified as required by law.
    — Landon Mion, FOXNews.com, 2 Aug. 2026
  • Timothy didn’t attend college and held several jobs throughout his life, including working as a janitor at Harvard, where Chris went to school.
    — Alex Gurley, PEOPLE, 24 July 2026
Definition of janitor
Noun
  • As families prepare for the first day of classes, parents and guardians are gathering school supplies, arranging carpools and figuring out how their children will get to and from school.
    — Angela Rodriguez, Sacbee.com, 17 Aug. 2026
  • The law requires that minors under 16 link their social media accounts to a legal guardian to ensure supervision.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 17 Aug. 2026
Definition of guardian
Noun
  • There is no word on when the search for a new warden will commence.
    — Christopher DeRose, CBS News, 20 Aug. 2026
  • But to Bill Donnelly, the service’s warden, New Jersey’s fire season, like North America’s, can feel unending.
    — Robert Sullivan, New Yorker, 17 Aug. 2026
Definition of warden
Noun
  • In the film, robotic sentinels have been constructed to kill all mutants and any humans harboring them.
    — Keith Langston, PEOPLE, 18 July 2026
  • 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
Definition of sentinel
Noun
  • White works for the state as an in-home caretaker for elderly and disabled clients.
    — Evelyn Ronan, Sacbee.com, 20 Aug. 2026
  • Jose Mourinho returns to the Bernabeu thirteen years after his first spell ended, appointed to end a two-season trophy drought that cost Xabi Alonso his job in January and left Álvaro Arbeloa’s caretaker spell without a single piece of silverware.
    — Sam Leveridge, Forbes.com, 20 Aug. 2026
Definition of caretaker

Browse Nearby Words

watching over
watchman
watchmen
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Watchman.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/watchman. Accessed 23 Aug. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of watchman for Spanish Speakers

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