Word Meanings - WATCH - Book Publishers vocabulary database

1. The act of watching; forbearance of sleep; vigil; wakeful, vigilant, or constantly observant attention; close observation; guard; preservative or preventive vigilance; formerly, a watching or guarding by night. Shepherds keeping watch by night.

Additional info about word: WATCH

1. The act of watching; forbearance of sleep; vigil; wakeful, vigilant, or constantly observant attention; close observation; guard; preservative or preventive vigilance; formerly, a watching or guarding by night. Shepherds keeping watch by night. Milton. All the long night their mournful watch they keep. Addison. Note: Watch was formerly distinguished from ward, the former signifying a watching or guarding by night, and the latter a watching, guarding, or protecting by day Hence, they were not unfrequently used together, especially in the phrase to keep watch and ward, to denote continuous and uninterrupted vigilance or protection, or both watching and guarding. This distinction is now rarely recognized, watch being used to signify a watching or guarding both by night and by day, and ward, which is now rarely used, having simply the meaning of guard, or protection, without reference to time. Still, when she slept, he kept both watch and ward. Spenser. Ward, guard, or custodia, is chiefly applied to the daytime, in order to apprehend rioters, and robbers on the highway . . . Watch, is properly applicable to the night only, . . . and it begins when ward ends, and ends when that begins. Blackstone. 2. One who watches, or those who watch; a watchman, or a body of watchmen; a sentry; a guard. Pilate said unto them, Ye have a watch; go your way, make it as sure as ye can. Matt. xxvii. 65. 3. The post or office of a watchman; also, the place where a watchman is posted, or where a guard is kept. He upbraids Iago, that he made him Brave me upon the watch. Shak. 4. The period of the night during which a person does duty as a sentinel, or guard; the time from the placing of a sentinel till his relief; hence, a division of the night. I did stand my watch upon the hill. Shak. Might we but hear . . . Or whistle from the lodge, or village cock Count the night watches to his feathery dames. Milton. 5. A small timepiece, or chronometer, to be carried about the person, the machinery of which is moved by a spring. Note: Watches are often distinguished by the kind of escapement used, as an anchor watch, a lever watch, a chronometer watch, etc. (see the Note under Escapement, n., 3); also, by the kind of case, as a gold or silver watch, an open-faced watch, a hunting watch, or hunter, etc. An allotted portion of time, usually four hour for standing watch, or being on deck ready for duty. Cf. Dogwatch. That part, usually one half, of the officers and crew, who together attend to the working of a vessel for an allotted time, usually four hours. The watches are designated as the port watch, and the starboard watch. Anchor watch , a detail of one or more men who keep watch on deck when a vessel is at anchor. -- To be on the watch, to be looking steadily for some event. -- Watch and ward , the charge or care of certain officers to keep a watch by night and a guard by day in towns, cities, and other districts, for the preservation of the public peace. Wharton. Burrill. -- Watch and watch , the regular alternation in being on watch and off watch of the two watches into which a ship's crew is commonly divided. -- Watch barrel, the brass box in a watch, containing the mainspring. -- Watch bell , a bell struck when the half-hour glass is run out, or at the end of each half hour. Craig. -- Watch bill , a list of the officers and crew of a ship as divided into watches, with their stations. Totten. -- Watch case, the case, or outside covering, of a watch; also, a case for holding a watch, or in which it is kept. -- Watch chain. Same as watch guard, below. -- Watch clock, a watchman's clock; see under Watchman. -- Watch fire, a fire lighted at night, as a signal, or for the use of a watch or guard. -- Watch glass. A concavo-convex glass for covering the face, or dial, of a watch; -- also called watch crystal. A half- hour glass used to measure the time of a watch on deck. A round concavo-convex glass of shallow depth used for certain manipulations of chemicals in a laboratory. -- Watch guard, a chain or cord by which a watch is attached to the person. -- Watch gun , a gun sometimes fired on shipboard at 8 p. m., when the night watch begins. -- Watch light, a low-burning lamp used by watchers at night; formerly, a candle having a rush wick. -- Watch night, The last night of the year; -- so called by the Methodists, Moravians, and others, who observe it by holding religious meetings lasting until after midnight. -- Watch paper, an old-fashioned ornament for the inside of a watch case, made of paper cut in some fanciful design, as a vase with flowers, etc. -- Watch tackle , a small, handy purchase, consisting of a tailed double block, and a single block with a hook.

Possible synonyms: (Same meaning words of WATCH)

• Abide
• Dwell
• stay
• inhabit
• continue
• rest
• tarry
• lodge
• reside
• live
• wait
• sojourn
• remain
• expect
• endure
• tolerate
• anticipate
• confront
• await
• bear
• face
• watch
• Alert
• Active
• brisk
• nimble
• prepared
• prompt
• vigilant
• ready
• wakeful
• watchful
• on the watch
• lively
• Attend
• Listen
• heed
• notice
• observe
• wait on
• serve
• mind
• accompany
• consort
• follow
• imply
• involve
• Sentinel
• Watch
• guardian
• guard
• keeper
• warden
• sentry
• watchman
• patrol
• vedette
• Wake
• Rouse
• suscitate
• excite
• reanimate
• revive
• awake
• revel
• evoke
• summon
• provoke
• call

Possible antonyms: (opposite words of WATCH)

• Avoid
• abandon
• excommunicate
• blackball
• banish
• exclude

Related words: (words related to WATCH)

• LIVELY
  1. Endowed with or manifesting life; living. Chaplets of gold and silver resembling lively flowers and leaves. Holland. 2. Brisk; vivacious; active; as, a lively youth. But wherefore comes old Manoa in such haste, With youthful steps Much livelier
• INHABITATE
  To inhabit.
• PROMPT-BOOK
  The book used by a prompter of a theater.
• IMPLY
  1. To infold or involve; to wrap up. "His head in curls implied." Chapman. 2. To involve in substance or essence, or by fair inference, or by construction of law, when not include virtually; as, war implies fighting. Where a mulicious act is
• GUARDIAN
  One who has, or is entitled to, the custody of the person or property of an infant, a minor without living parents, or a person incapable of managing his own affairs. Of the several species of guardians, the first are guardians by nature. -- viz.,
• GUARDIANSHIP
  The office, duty, or care, of a guardian; protection; care; watch.
• CONFRONT
  1. To stand facing or in front of; to face; esp. to face hostilely; to oppose with firmness. We four, indeed, confronted were with four In Russian habit. Shak. He spoke and then confronts the bull. Dryden. Hester caught hold of Pearl, and drew
• CONSORTSHIP
  The condition of a consort; fellowship; partnership. Hammond.
• ROUSE
  To pull or haul strongly and all together, as upon a rope, without the assistance of mechanical appliances.
• REVIVEMENT
  Revival.
• VEDETTE
  A sentinel, usually on horseback, stationed on the outpost of an army, to watch an enemy and give notice of danger; a vidette. (more info) by vedere to see, L. videre), from It. veglia watch, L. vigilia. See
• WATCHET
  Pale or light blue. "Watchet mantles." Spenser. Who stares in Germany at watchet eyes Dryden.
• INHABITATIVENESS
  A tendency or propensity to permanent residence in a place or abode; love of home and country.
• CONSORT
  A ship keeping company with another. 3. Concurrence; conjunction; combination; association; union. "By Heaven's consort." Fuller. "Working in consort." Hare. Take it singly, and is carries an air of levity; but, in consort with the rest,
• WATCHDOG
  A dog kept to watch and guard premises or property, and to give notice of the approach of intruders.
• WATCHHOUSE
  1. A house in which a watch or guard is placed. 2. A place where persons under temporary arrest by the police of a city are kept; a police station; a lockup.
• SENTINEL
  A marine crab native of the Indian Ocean, remarkable for the great length of its eyestalks; -- called also sentinel crab. (more info) originally, a litle path, the sentinel's beat,, and a dim. of a word meaning, path; cf. F. sente path.
• REVELLENT
  Causing revulsion; revulsive. -- n.
• GUARDIANESS
  A female guardian. I have placed a trusty, watchful guardianess. Beau. & Fl.
• INVOLVEDNESS
  The state of being involved.
• SELF-ACTIVE
  Acting of one's self or of itself; acting without depending on other agents.
• CHYLIFACTIVE
  Producing, or converting into, chyle; having the power to form chyle.
• DISSERVE
  To fail to serve; to do injury or mischief to; to damage; to hurt; to harm. Have neither served nor disserved the interests of any party. Jer. Taylor. (more info) Etym:
• RESERVE
  1. To keep back; to retain; not to deliver, make over, or disclose. "I have reserved to myself nothing." Shak. 2. Hence, to keep in store for future or special use; to withhold from present use for another purpose or time; to keep; to retain. Gen.
• COUNTERACTIVE
  Tending to counteract.
• INDWELLING
  Residence within, as in the heart. The personal indwelling of the Spirit in believers. South.
• INEXPECTABLE
  Not to be expected or anticipated. Bp. Hall.
• REVOKER
  One who revokes.
• UNEXPECTATION
  Absence of expectation; want of foresight. Bp. Hall.
• DESERVEDNESS
  Meritoriousness.