Watchman Meaning
/ˈwɒtʃmən/Definition, CEFR level B1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
nounA man set to watch: a man who keeps guard, especially one who guards a building, or the streets of a city, by night; (loosely) any such person of any sex or gender.
nameA surname.
Sentence Examples
A watchman sat with his legs crossed.
He is a watchman in this building.
The burglars appear to have been surprised by the watchman.
Synonyms & Antonyms
Synonyms:
Antonyms:
None
CEFR Practice Quiz
The night ____ patrolled the factory with a flashlight to check for intruders.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The ____ patrols the warehouse every single night to ensure that there are no several intruders in the building today.
Word Origin & History
From Middle English waccheman. By surface analysis, watch + -man.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"The visits of the watchman to that (then) obscure and ill-inhabited neighborhood were more regulated by his indolence than his duty; and Clarence knew that it would be in vain to listen for his cry or tarry for his assistance."
— 1829, Edward Bulwer Lytton, chapter XVIII, in The Disowned:
"Well, it so happened that Stine and the cook were sitting in their room one evening, mending and darning their things; it was near bedtime, for the watchman had already sung out "Ten o'clock," but somehow the darning and the sewing went on very slowly indeed[.]"
— 1886, Peter Christen Asbjørnsen, translated by H.L. Brækstad, Folk and Fairy Tales, page 8:
"Watchmen are stationed continuously at each end of the bridge, and the main spans are patrolled twice during the night."
— 1950 March, H. A. Vallance, “On Foot Across the Forth Bridge”, in Railway Magazine, page 149:
"In 1972, a night watchman patrolling a hotel-office complex noticed that the basement garage door had been taped open and, attributing this to the carelessness of a maintenance worker earlier that day, peeled the tape off."
— 2004 September 5, Laura Miller, “Imagine”, in The New York Times, →ISSN, archived from the original on 15 Jul 2021:
"A black night watchman at a factory is accused of murdering a young white secretary who works at the factory, but it turns out the factory owner accidentally killed her when she refused his advances."
— 2010, Bob McCann, Encyclopedia of African American Actresses in Film and Television, page 51:
Explore More B1 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
The night ____ patrolled the factory with a flashlight to check for intruders.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The ____ patrols the warehouse every single night to ensure that there are no several intruders in the building today.