to keep under attentive view or observation, as in order to see or learn something; view attentively or with interest: to watch a play; to watch a football game.

to contemplate or regard mentally: to watch his progress.

to look or wait attentively and expectantly for: to watch one's opportunity.

10.

to guard, tend, or oversee, especially for protection or safekeeping: to watch the baby.

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Watch is one of our favorite verbs.

So is skedaddle. Does it mean:

to run away hurriedly; flee.

to bark; yelp.

LEARN MORE FUN, UNUSUAL VERBS WITH WORD DYNAMO...

noun

11.

close, continuous observation for the purpose of seeing or discovering something: Their watch for the birds was unrewarding.

12.

vigilant guard, as for protection or restraint: to keep watch for prowlers.

13.

a keeping awake for some special purpose: a watch beside a sickbed.

14.

a period of time for watching or keeping guard: to stand the first watch.

15.

a small, portable timepiece, as a wrist watch or pocket watch.

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16.

a chronometer.

17.

Nautical.

a period of time, usually four hours, during which one part of a ship's crew is on duty, taking turns with another part.

the officers and crew who attend to the working of a ship for an allotted period of time.

18.

one of the periods, usually three or four, into which the night was divided in ancient times, as by the Greeks or Hebrews: the fourth watch of the night.

19.

a person or group that watches, as a lookout, guard, or sentinel: A watch was posted at sunset.

20.

Also called storm watch. Meteorology. an announcement from the U.S. National Weather Service alerting the public that dangerous weather conditions are a possibility and that vigilance and precautionary preparations are advised: hurricane watch, tornado watch. Compare advisory (def. 5), warning (def. 3).

21.

a flock of nightingales.

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Verb phrases

22.

watch out, to be on one's guard; be cautious: Watch out for cars when you cross the road.

23.

watch over, to guard for protection or safekeeping: She watched over us like a mother hen over her brood.

Idioms

24.

on the watch, vigilant; alert: The hunter was on the watch for game.

25.

watch oneself,

to be cautious.

to practice discretion or self-restraint.

Origin:
before 900; 1580–90 for def. 15; (v.) Middle English wacchen, Old English wæccan, doublet of wacian to be awake (see wake¹); (noun) Middle English wacche, Old English wæcce, derivative of wæccan

Related forms

un·watched, adjective

un·watch·ing, adjective

well-watched, adjective

Synonyms
1. Watch, look, see imply being aware of things around one by perceiving them through the eyes. To watch is to be a spectator, to look on or observe, or to fix the attention upon during passage of time: to watch while a procession passes. To look is to direct the gaze with the intention of seeing, to use the eyesight with attention: to look for violets in the spring; to look at articles displayed for sale. To see is to perceive with the eyes, to obtain a visual impression, with or without fixing the attention: animals able to see in the dark. 9. await. 10. protect. 11. inspection, attention. 12. vigil.

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Link To Watch

Example Sentences

One in every two people in the world is expected to watch the cup on television.

Small bars are abuzz and people pile into huts hooked up to generators to watch football matches.

Watch as a harbor seal chases schools of fish, and later ingests sand lance fish, which live in the ocean floor.

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One in every two people in the world is expected to watch the cup on television.

Small bars are abuzz and people pile into huts hooked up to generators to watch football matches.

Watch as a harbor seal chases schools of fish, and later ingests sand lance fish, which live in the ocean floor.

Watch the researchers talk about the fossils and techniques used to find them.

Groups of editors at a dictionary watch specific subject areas, logging the hits a new word gets.

Watch how to make perfectly grilled oysters in minutes.

Not so long ago, it was pretty hard to watch online streaming video on anything but a personal computer.

We'll watch the bobbleheads watch the numbers roll in.

Watch in this exclusive video the results of that mission and how this scientific army finally caught their perfect storm.

It's truly awe-inspiring to watch the power of the universe at work.

See how to make your own sturdy wire supports for your growing vines watch.

No, nor is there anything terribly interesting to watch while the end credits roll.

It also joins the calls for an outside eye to keep watch on the force's operations.

To track their fitness, referees constantly wear a watch that monitors their heart rates.

From here, you can watch the fishermen work their nets and poles.

Viewers then sit down, don large headphones and watch a video, with the volume turned up.

They watch thousands of hours of cookery shows on television.

Although teenagers watch a lot of television it has become hard to make programmes specifically for them.

American households watch the box for over eight hours a day on average, twice as long as anyone else.

Our weekly round-up of things to watch out for in the next seven days.

For one, the memory of a special watch won't let him.

We watch the videos and read the discussion forums and blogs.

Watch from the control room as the show goes live earlier tonight.

Watch your heartbeat with do-it-yourself equipment, as described.

If you want to watch the ice palace go up, or even lend a hand, plan to arrive a few weeks early.

For real, this time: the watch is a development platform aimed at software.

Here are some things to watch out for when he takes.

Watch out for the ones who want you to call them by their first names.

Visitors will be immersed in scenes of ocean life as they watch high-definition movies on multiple screens high overhead.

Watch tips on how to give succulents new life when they expand beyond their space watch.

Why in the world would you watch out for those who want you to call.

The stuff that people used to watch or listen to largely because there was little else on is increasingly being ignored.

It's great on weekends, especially when the weather is nice, to sit outside and watch a movie on the big screen.

Create a spooky trio of glossy black cats to watch over trick-or-treaters at your door.

But that doesn't mean the rest of us have to sit idly by and watch it go without a fight.

But companies must now watch for the government's next move.

But you can watch the whole thing live if you tune.

Watch the images from our photo contest animate your screen while your computer is not in use.

Watch step-by-step tips on how to transform succulents into living paintings.

Another thing to watch for: make sure you don't have water sitting around.

Several hundred more people watch the service on television in an.

But the decision, the robot explains, was fair because you got to watch your favorite morning show the day before.

You'll be able to check out the state-of-the-art kitchen and watch celebrity chefs demonstrate signature recipes and techniques.

Watch tips on how to give succulents new life when they expand beyond their space.

And if they perceive that you are somehow in their way, watch out.

Not enough, say banks: they want more information on scams or patterns to watch for.

Watch tips on how to incorporate gorgeous succulents into your garden.

So it has been interesting to watch the reaction after the country's elder.

Watch for a variety of eco-friendly paving options for your garden.

Watch our videographic on the recent history of piracy around the world.

Watch as the entire community comes out of the woodwork to play catch up at the farmers' market.

But barely a third of the audience opted to watch the boy wizard battle his snake-faced foe in three dimensions.

Watch tips on the best crops to plant for a summer garden.

For many, the televised debates are their only chance to watch them up close and more or less unscripted.

We swing our binoculars around to watch a phalarope, a white bird no bigger than my hand, paddling in tight circles on the water.

Consultants are people who borrow your watch and tell you what time it is, and then walk off with the watch.

Watch to get tips on perennial herbs that are musts in any edible garden.

Publishers will want to watch such preferences closely-and watch their backs.

Watch for scoop on the best annual herbs to plant in your edible garden.

The combined output of all these systems is far greater than the capacity of security staff to watch all the images.

Watch for tips on planning the perfect party with these fabulous drink and appetizer pairings.

People were persuaded to own films rather than simply watch them.

Watch for the stage when your cover crop starts to flower but before it sets seed.

Stop often to watch foamy waves crashing over the rocks and sea otters at play.

Watch how to use mulch to protect your plants from extreme temperatures.

Watch and get ready to fire up the grill with these flavorful recipes for marinades and rubs.

Watch to get the scoop on gorgeously vibrant flowers to cut and display in your home.

Serve them at your next party and watch your guests' eyes light up.

Watch and get the secret to perfectly succulent shrimp.

Watch how to make the ultimate summer sauce with fresh basil from your garden or market.

Watch the procession from the restaurant's long picture window.

Just pop it into the ground or a large pot and watch it race to the sky.

Watch ways to feature the colors and textures of edibles in your garden design.

Set these out at your next open house and watch them disappear.

The wine has a couple of weaknesses to watch out for, though: a tendency toward high alcohol.

The invitation-only salon bills itself as the landmark gathering for the fine watch sector.

COLLAPSE

Collins

World English Dictionary

quartz clock or watch

—n
	a clock or watch that is operated by the vibrations of a quartz crystal controlled by a microcircuit

watch or watch

—n

watch (wɒtʃ)

—vb (foll by for)
1.	to look at or observe closely or attentively
2.	to wait attentively or expectantly
3.	to guard or tend (something) closely or carefully
4.	(intr) to keep vigil
5.	(tr) to maintain an interest in: to watch the progress of a child at school
6.	watch it! be careful! look out!

—n
7.	a. a small portable timepiece, usually worn strapped to the wrist (a wristwatch) or in a waistcoat pocket
	b. (as modifier): a watch spring
8.	the act or an instance of watching
9.	a period of vigil, esp during the night
10.	(formerly) one of a set of periods of any of various lengths into which the night was divided
11.	nautical
	a. any of the usually four-hour periods beginning at midnight and again at noon during which part of a ship's crew are on duty
	b. those officers and crew on duty during a specified watch
12.	the period during which a guard is on duty
13.	(formerly) a watchman or band of watchmen
14.	on the watch on the lookout; alert

[Old English wæccan (vb), wæcce (n); related to wake¹]

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source

Etymonline

Word Origin & History

watch

O.E. wæccan "keep watch, be awake," from P.Gmc. *wakojan; essentially the same word as O.E. wacian "be or remain awake" (see wake (v.)); perhaps a Northumbrian form. Watchdog is recorded from 1610; fig. sense is attested from 1845.

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watch

O.E. wæcce "a watching," from wæccan (see watch (v.)). Sense of "sentinel" is recorded from c.1300; that of "person or group officially patroling a town (esp. at night) to keep order, etc." is first recorded 1539. Meaning "period of time in which a division of

a ship's crew remains on deck" is from 1585. Sense of "period into which a night was divided in ancient times" translates L. vigilia, Gk. phylake, Heb. ashmoreth.

"The Hebrews divided the night into three watches, the Greeks usually into four (sometimes five), the Romans (followed by the Jews in New Testament times) into four." [OED]

The meaning "small timepiece" is from 1588, developing from that of "a clock to wake up sleepers" (1440). Watchmaker is recorded from 1630; watchtower is attested from 1544.

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American Heritage

Idioms & Phrases

watch

In addition to the idioms beginning with watch, also see keep watch; look (watch) out; on the lookout (watch).