watch
A1Neutral (common in all registers from formal to informal)
Definition
Meaning
To look at or observe attentively, typically over a period of time.
A small timepiece worn on the wrist; a period of guard duty, especially on a ship; to be cautious or alert regarding a situation or person.
Linguistics
Semantic Notes
As a verb, implies active, attentive observation, often with purpose (monitoring, guarding, waiting for). As a noun, most commonly refers to the timepiece. The 'guard duty' sense is more specific and formal/historical.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
Minimal. Both use all major senses similarly. The idiom 'watch the telly' is strongly British.
Connotations
None specific. The word is culturally neutral.
Frequency
Equally high frequency in both dialects.
Vocabulary
Collocations
Grammar
Valency Patterns
watch + object (I watched the film)watch + object + bare infinitive (I watched him leave)watch + object + present participle (I watched him leaving)watch + for + object (Watch for ice on the road)watch + out (Watch out!)watch + over + object (She watched over the children)Vocabulary
Synonyms
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “watch your back”
- “watch your mouth/language”
- “watch the clock”
- “on the watch (for)”
- “watch the world go by”
- “watch like a hawk”
Usage
Context Usage
Business
"We need to watch our expenditure this quarter." (Monitor carefully)
Academic
"The researchers watched for changes in behavioural patterns." (Observed systematically)
Everyday
"I'll watch your bag while you go to the toilet." (Look after/guard)
Technical
"The system watches for intrusion attempts on the network." (Monitors/Detects)
Examples
By Part of Speech
verb
British English
- Could you watch the kids for a moment?
- We watched the match at the pub.
- Watch your head on that low beam.
American English
- Can you watch the kids for a minute?
- We watched the game at the bar.
- Watch your step on the icy sidewalk.
adjective
British English
- He was put on a watch list.
- The patient is under watch care.
American English
- He was placed on a watch list.
- The patient is in watchful care.
Examples
By CEFR Level
- I watch TV every evening.
- My watch is fast.
- Watch the dog!
- Watch where you're going!
- She carefully watched the experiment.
- He felt like someone was watching him.
- Investors are watching the market volatility closely.
- The documentary is a must-watch.
- The night watch reported nothing unusual.
- The government is watching the situation with growing unease.
- He watched helplessly as the negotiations collapsed.
- A good historian watches for patterns across epochs.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Imagine a WATCHman (guard) looking at his WATCH (timepiece) while he WATCHes (observes) the street.
Conceptual Metaphor
ATTENTION IS A GUARD ("Watch over someone"), TIME IS A MOVING OBJECT ("Watch the time"), CAUTION IS VIGILANCE ("Watch your step")
Watch out
Common Pitfalls
Translation Traps (for Russian speakers)
- Не переводить 'watch TV' как 'смотреть телевизор' (смотреть *на* телевизор) — правильный перевод 'смотреть телевизор' подразумевает 'watch'.
- "Watch out!" означает 'Осторожно!', а не 'Смотри снаружи!'.
- В значении 'часы' — это только наручные/карманные, не настенные или башенные (это 'clock').
Common Mistakes
- I am watching to you. (Correct: I am watching you.)
- I look a film. (Correct: I watch a film.)
- He watched me to leave. (Correct: He watched me leave.)
Practice
Quiz
Which sentence uses 'watch' in the sense of 'be cautious'?
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
'See' is passive perception. 'Look at' is a deliberate, often short act of directing your eyes. 'Watch' implies focused attention over a period of time, often to observe movement or changes.
Yes, but usually in a monitoring sense: 'The computer watches the temperature.' or 'Watch the pot so it doesn't boil over.'
Primarily dynamic. It describes an action and can be used in continuous forms: 'I am watching you.' It is not typically used in continuous form to express a state of ownership ('I am having a watch').
It derives from the Old English 'woecce' (watchman, guard), related to 'wake'. The timepiece is named after the watchmen who would use them to time their periods of duty.
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