WATCH | Meaning, Definition In Cambridge English Dictionary

Meaning of watch in English watchverb uk /wɒtʃ/ us /wɑːtʃ/

watch verb (LOOK AT)

Add to word list Add to word list A1 [ I or T ] to look at something for a period of time, especially something that is changing or moving: I had dinner and watched TV for a couple of hours. He spent the entire afternoon watching a cricket match. [ + obj + infinitive without to ] I watched him get into a cab. I got the feeling I was being watched. [ + obj + -ing verb ] I sit by the window and watch people walking past. [ + question word ] Just watch how he slides that ball in past the goalkeeper. Bonner watched helplessly as they drove away without him. She'll pretend that she hasn't seen us - you watch. to look at someone or something

• lookLook over there! A rainbow!
• watchI sat by the window and watched people walking past.
• glanceShe glanced around the room to see who was there.
• peepShe peeped through the curtains to see what was happening.
• peekHe peeked inside the box.
• stareDon't stare at people like that - it's rude.

See more results » [ T ] to stay with someone or something, such as a child, for a short time to make certain that he, she, or it is safe: If you want me to watch the kids for a couple of hours while you go out, just let me know. Could you watch my bags for me, while I go to the toilet? to take care of someone or something

• care forShe had to give up her job to care for her elderly mother.
• take care ofI just want to make enough money to take care of my family.
• look afterMy aunt looked after me after my parents died.
• nurseHe nursed me back to health.
• tendHe lived a quiet life, tending his garden and his hives.

See more results »

• You can watch the trains going by from this window.
• Practically the whole nation watched the ceremony on television.
• He watches a lot of TV.
• We sat on the beach watching a spectacular sunset.
• Thousands of fans packed into the stadium to watch the match.

Using the eyes

• accommodate
• accommodation
• all eyes are on someone/something idiom
• astigmatic
• beholder
• catch
• clock
• eyeful
• gawk
• leer
• look out for someone/something phrasal verb
• look up phrasal verb
• look-see
• not take your eyes off someone/something idiom
• observational
• observationally
• ogle
• scan
• shoot
• squint

See more results »

You can also find related words, phrases, and synonyms in the topics:

Defending and protecting

watch verb (BE CAREFUL)

B2 [ T ] to be careful of something: watch your weight I have to watch my weight (= be careful not to become too heavy) now I'm not exercising so much. Watch your language (= do not use rude words), young man! [ + (that) ] Watch (that) you don't get glue on your fingers. [ + question word ] Watch what you're doing with that knife, Jim, it's sharp. You need to watch him - he's a strange character.

• You need to watch those car dealers.
• Watch the mosquitos - they can give you a nasty bite.
• Watch what you're doing with that stick!.

Paying attention and being careful

• advertently
• attentional focus
• attentiveness
• baby
• be good, and if you can't be good, be careful idiom
• concentration
• ear
• egg
• guard
• hang
• hang on someone's every word
• hang on/upon something phrasal verb
• have a care idiom
• prudently
• read the fine print
• read the small print
• revolve
• revolve around someone/something phrasal verb
• sit
• the/a glare of something idiom

See more results »

Grammar

Look at, see or watch?When we look at something, we direct our eyes in its direction and pay attention to it: … Look atWhen we look at something, we direct our eyes in its direction and pay attention to it: … SeeSee means noticing something using our eyes. The past simple form is saw and the -ed form is seen: … Watch as a verbWatch is similar to look at, but it usually means that we look at something for a period of time, especially something that is changing or moving: … Look at, see or watch: typical errorsWhen there is an object, we use at after look: …

Idioms

watch someone's back watch your back watch it watch paint dry watch the clock watch the world go by watch this space

Phrasal verbs

watch out watch out for someone/something watch over someone watchnoun uk /wɒtʃ/ us /wɑːtʃ/

watch noun (SMALL CLOCK)

A1 [ C ] a small clock that is worn on a strap around the wrist or, sometimes, connected to a piece of clothing by a chain: your watch stops My watch seems to have stopped (= stopped working). He glanced nervously at his watch.   Lee Chee Keong/EyeEm/GettyImages

• Repairing a watch is a very fiddly job.
• She took/cast a glance at her watch.
• The watch mechanism is extremely intricate and very difficult to repair.
• Does your watch keep good time?
• On the bottom of the watch it said 'Swiss-made'.

Watches & clocks

• 24-hour clock
• against the clock idiom
• alarm
• alarm clock
• astronomical clock
• at/on the stroke of something idiom
• clock
• grandfather clock
• horologist
• horology
• hour hand
• hourglass
• jewel
• stroke
• synchronized
• tick
• ticking
• timekeeper
• timepiece
• turn the clocks back phrase

See more results »

watch noun (LOOKING)

[ S or U ] the activity of watching or giving attention to something or someone, especially to make certain nothing bad happens: keep a watch on The police keep a close watch on gang members.on watch The soldiers slept at night, except for one who stayed awake on watch.keep watch We drew straws to decide who would stay up and keep watch. [ S ] a person or group of soldiers or guards whose duty is to protect a person, place, or thing from danger or attack [ C ] a particular period of time during which a person or a group of soldiers or guards has the duty of protecting and warning of danger: the night watch  on someone's watch at a time when someone is in charge of a particular situation and responsible for what happens: happen on someone's watch This happened on my watch. And I intend to resolve it. See more

• I sometimes just look out the window and keep a watch on the comings and goings of everyone in the street.
• Her parents used to keep a jealous watch over her when she was young.
• Management keep a close watch on bullying in the workplace.
• She keeps a close watch on her husband to see that he behaves himself.
• You need to keep a close watch on him. He's a real troublemaker.

Using the eyes

• accommodate
• accommodation
• all eyes are on someone/something idiom
• astigmatic
• beholder
• catch
• clock
• eyeful
• gawk
• leer
• look out for someone/something phrasal verb
• look up phrasal verb
• look-see
• not take your eyes off someone/something idiom
• observational
• observationally
• ogle
• scan
• shoot
• squint

See more results »

You can also find related words, phrases, and synonyms in the topics:

Protection and protectors Parts of armies & groups of servicemen Defending and protecting

Idiom

a watch out (Definition of watch from the Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary & Thesaurus © Cambridge University Press)

watch | American Dictionary

watchnoun us /wɑtʃ, wɔtʃ/

watch noun (SMALL CLOCK)

Add to word list Add to word list [ C ] a small clock usually worn on a strap around the wrist, or sometimes carried in a pocket: She looked at her watch and said, "It’s a quarter to five."

watch noun (LOOKING AT)

[ C/U ] an act of guarding someone or something to make sure the person or property stays safe and in the right place: [ U ] The prison guards kept a close watch on him. [ C/U ] Watch is also a period during which someone is responsible for guarding or looking around to be sure that property or people are safe, or the person who is responsible: [ C ] The soldiers on the night watch had to be careful not to fall asleep. watchverb us /wɑtʃ, wɔtʃ/

watch verb (LOOK AT)

to look at something for a period of time: [ T ] He spent the evening watching an old movie on TV. [ + to infinitive ] The police were watching to see who left the house. [ T ] Do you want me to watch the kids (= notice what they are doing and care for them) when you go out?

watch verb (BE CAREFUL)

[ T ] to be careful of something: We have to watch our bank account to make sure there’s enough money in it to pay our credit card bills. I’ve got to start watching my weight (= be careful not to become fat). The sign says "Watch for (= be careful of) falling rocks."

Idioms

watch out watch your step

Phrasal verb

watch over someone (Definition of watch from the Cambridge Academic Content Dictionary © Cambridge University Press)

Examples of watch

watch The passage of records to and from the bookhouse was closely watched. From the Cambridge English Corpus Although the amount of time spent watching television increased, these increases usually replaced time that had been spent listening to the radio. From the Cambridge English Corpus He wallows around in his sweaty bed and goes to work and comes back and, eventually, looks in the mirror and watches himself disappear. From the Cambridge English Corpus In this context, musical relations are likely to become more self-conscious, and less intimate, than when watching fiction. From the Cambridge English Corpus Therefore, the analysis concentrates on hours of television watched during a working week, and the number of times television news was watched during the week. From the Cambridge English Corpus The health effects of solitary leisure activities, such as mainly home-based hobbies or watching television, are however inconclusive. From the Cambridge English Corpus He first waits for her on the roof, it is late at night, and he watches the moonlight. From the Cambridge English Corpus The experience of watching a television broadcast is far less involving. From the Cambridge English Corpus Consider that there is no trivial link between the sight of watching someone else scratch their nose, and the experience of scratching your own nose. From the Cambridge English Corpus Respondents who reported watching a particular programme six or seven days a week were treated as watching five days a week. From the Cambridge English Corpus There are watches that can be worn to give you full computing power or just as or, in addition to serve as a cellphone. From the Cambridge English Corpus Are they likely to be perceived by an audience listening to and watching an opera in the theatre? From the Cambridge English Corpus Instead, it was the practice of watching one's weight that was gendered. From the Cambridge English Corpus The conversational data led me to seek out other texts that contained references to body size, beauty pageants, and gendered practices of watching one's weight. From the Cambridge English Corpus While watching them, an action of entrainment and spiritual integration seemed to take over and propel their bodies. From the Cambridge English Corpus See all examples of watch These examples are from corpora and from sources on the web. Any opinions in the examples do not represent the opinion of the Cambridge Dictionary editors or of Cambridge University Press or its licensors.

Collocations with watch

watch

These are words often used in combination with watch.

Click on a collocation to see more examples of it.

careful watchIt will, however, require new priorities, and a careful watch on the changing contexts in which farming is taking place. From the Cambridge English Corpus   close watch onWe keep a close watch on this, using monitoring and surveillance mechanisms. From Europarl Parallel Corpus - English   constant watchA constant watch was kept to prevent servants staying a full year, while tenants taking on apprentices were immediately asked to stand surety for any future liability to the parish. From the Cambridge English Corpus   These examples are from corpora and from sources on the web. Any opinions in the examples do not represent the opinion of the Cambridge Dictionary editors or of Cambridge University Press or its licensors. See all collocations with watch What is the pronunciation of watch?

Translations of watch

in Chinese (Traditional) 看, 觀看, 注視… See more in Chinese (Simplified) 看, 观看, 注视… See more in Spanish mirar, cuidar de, vigilar… See more in Portuguese olhar, observar, assistir… See more in Marathi in Japanese in Turkish in French in Catalan in Dutch in Tamil in Hindi in Gujarati in Danish in Swedish in Malay in German in Norwegian in Urdu in Ukrainian in Telugu in Bengali in Czech in Indonesian in Thai in Vietnamese in Polish in Korean in Italian पहाणे, सांभाळणे / लक्ष ठेवणे, लक्ष ठेवणे… See more ～を見る（動いたり変化するものを見る）, ～を見張る, 腕時計… See more seyretmek, izlemek, bakmak… See more regarder, surveiller, garder… See more mirar, vigilar, rellotge de polsera… See more horloge, wacht, kijken naar… See more ஒரு குறிப்பிட்ட காலத்திற்கு எதையாவது பார்க்க, குறிப்பாக மாறும் அல்லது நகரும் ஒன்று, அவர்… See more ध्यान से देखना, नज़र रखना, (किसी चीज़ के विषय में) सतर्क होना… See more જોવું, નિહાળવું, ધ્યાન રાખવું… See more ur, -ur, armbåndsur… See more fick-, armbandsur, vakt[pass]… See more jam tangan, masa berkawal, menjadi pengawal… See more die Uhr, die Wache, beobachten… See more se på, se, passe på… See more دیکھنا, نگرانی کرنا, خیال رکھنا… See more годинник, вахта, стежити… See more చూడడం, దేని గురించి అయినా జాగ్రత్తగా ఉండు, చేతి గడియారం… See more দীর্ঘ সময় ধরে দেখা, নজর রাখা, লক্ষ রাখা… See more hodinky, stráž, směna… See more arloji, tugas jaga, jaga… See more นาฬิกาข้อมือ, การอยู่ยามกลางคืน, กะลาสีเรือที่อยู่เวรกัน… See more đồng hồ đeo tay, canh gác, đội tuần tra… See more obserwować, oglądać, być ostrożnym… See more 보다, 조심하다, 손목 시계… See more guardare, osservare, fare attenzione a… See more Need a translator?

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wasting asset wasting disease wastrel wat watch watch it idiom watch list watch out for someone/something phrasal verb watch over someone phrasal verb {{#randomImageQuizHook.filename}} {{#randomImageQuizHook.isQuiz}} Test your vocabulary with our fun image quizzes Try a quiz now {{/randomImageQuizHook.isQuiz}} {{^randomImageQuizHook.isQuiz}} {{/randomImageQuizHook.isQuiz}} {{/randomImageQuizHook.filename}}

More meanings of watch

• dog watch
• fob watch
• binge-watch
• hate-watch
• watch list
• watch party
• pocket watch

See all meanings

• watch over someone phrasal verb
• watch out phrasal verb
• watch out for someone/something phrasal verb

See all phrasal verb meanings

• watch out idiom
• watch your step idiom
• on someone's watch phrase
• watch it idiom
• a watch out idiom
• watch someone's back idiom
• watch paint dry idiom

See all idioms and phrases

Word of the Day

in all modesty

said when you want to say something good about yourself, but do not want to seem to think you are too important

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• English   
  • Verb 
    • watch (LOOK AT)
    • watch (BE CAREFUL)
  • Noun 
    • watch (SMALL CLOCK)
    • watch (LOOKING)
    • on someone's watch
• American   
  • Noun 
    • watch (SMALL CLOCK)
    • watch (LOOKING AT)
  • Verb 
    • watch (LOOK AT)
    • watch (BE CAREFUL)
• Examples
• Collocations

• Translations
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