watch (w?ch)v. watched, watch·ing, watch·es v.intr.1. To look or observe attentively or carefully; be closely observant: watching for trail markers.2. To look and wait expectantly or in anticipation: watch for an opportunity.3. To act as a spectator; look on: stood by the road and watched.4. To stay awake at night while serving as a guard, sentinel, or watcher.5. To stay alert as a devotional or religious exercise; keep vigil.v.tr.1. To look at steadily; observe carefully or continuously: watch a parade.2. To guard, keep surveillance on, or spy on: watched the prisoner all day; watched the house to see who came and went.3. To observe the course of mentally; keep up on or informed about: watch the price of gold.4. To pay close attention to or be careful about, especially with regard to propriety: watched his manners.5. To tend or take care of (children or a flock of sheep, for example). See Synonyms at tend2.n.1. The act or process of keeping awake or mentally alert, especially for the purpose of guarding.2. a. The act of observing closely or the condition of being closely observed; surveillance.b. A period of close observation, often in order to discover something: a watch during the child’s illness.3. A person or group of people serving, especially at night, to guard or protect.4. The post or period of duty of a guard, sentinel, or watcher.5. Any of the periods into which the night is divided; a part of the night.6. Nautical a. Any of the periods of time, usually four hours, into which the day aboard ship is divided and during which a part of the crew is assigned to duty.b. The members of a ship’s crew on duty during a specific watch.c. A chronometer on a ship.7. a. A period of wakefulness, especially one observed as a religious vigil.b. A funeral wake.8. A small portable timepiece, especially one worn on the wrist or carried in the pocket.9. A flock of nightingales.Phrasal Verbs: watch out To be careful or on the alert; take care. watch over To be in charge of; superintend.Idioms: watch it To be careful: had to watch it when I stepped onto the ice. watch (one’s) step1. To act or proceed with care and caution.2. To behave as is demanded, required, or appropriate.[Middle English wacchen, from Old English wæccan, to watch, be awake; see weg- in Indo-European roots.]American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.watch (w?t?) vb1. to look at or observe closely or attentively2. (foll by: for) to wait attentively or expectantly3. to guard or tend (something) closely or carefully4. (intr) to keep vigil5. (tr) to maintain an interest in: to watch the progress of a child at school. 6. watch it! be careful! look out!n7. (Horology) a. a small portable timepiece, usually worn strapped to the wrist (a wristwatch) or in a waistcoat pocketb. (as modifier): a watch spring. 8. the act or an instance of watching9. a period of vigil, esp during the night10. (formerly) one of a set of periods of any of various lengths into which the night was divided11. (Nautical Terms) 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 dutyb. those officers and crew on duty during a specified watch12. (Military) the period during which a guard is on duty13. (formerly) a watchman or band of watchmen14. on the watch on the lookout; alert[Old English wæccan (vb), wæcce (n); related to wake1]Collins English Dictionary ? Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014watch (w?t?) v.i. 1. to look attentively, as to see what is done or happens; observe. 2. to wait attentively and expectantly (usu. fol. by for): to watch for a signal. 3. to be careful or cautious: Watch when you cross the street. 4. to keep awake, esp. for a purpose; remain vigilant. 5. to keep vigil, as for devotional purposes. 6. to keep guard: to watch at the door. v.t. 7. to view attentively or with interest: to watch a football game. 8. to contemplate or regard mentally: to watch a student’s progress. 9. to wait attentively and expectantly for: to watch one’s opportunity. 10. to guard or tend: to watch the baby. 11. watch out, to be cautious. 12. watch over, to safeguard; protect. n. 13. close, continuous observation for the purpose of seeing or discovering something. 14. vigilant guard, as for protection or restraint: to keep watch for prowlers. 15. a keeping awake for some special purpose: a watch beside a sickbed. 16. a small, portable timepiece, as a wristwatch or pocket watch. 17. a chronometer. 18. a. a period of time, usu. four hours, during which one part of a ship’s crew is on duty, taking turns with another part. b. the officers and crew who attend to the working of a ship for an allotted period of time. 19. one of the periods, usu. three or four, into which the night was divided in ancient times, as by the Greeks or Hebrews: the fourth watch of the night. 20. a lookout, guard, or sentinel: A watch was posted at sunset. Idioms: 1. on the watch, vigilant; alert: a hunter on the watch for game. 2. watch oneself, to practice caution, discretion, or self-restraint. [before 900; Middle English wacchen, Old English wæccan, doublet of wacian to be awake (see wake1)] Random House Kernerman Webster’s College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.Watch a body of watchmen or guards, 1532; a flock of birds, 1847.Example: watch of nightingales, 1452.Dictionary of Collective Nouns and Group Terms. Copyright 2008 The Gale Group, Inc. All rights reserved.see – look at – watch1. ‘see’When you see something, you are aware of it through your eyes, or you notice it.When you look at something, you direct your eyes towards it.When you watch something, you pay attention to it using your eyes, because you are interested in what it is doing, or in what may happen.Both see and watch are used when you are talking about entertainment or sport.When you go to the theatre or cinema, you say that you see a play or film.Don’t say that someone ‘looks at’ a play or film. Don’t say, for example ‘I looked at that movie’.You say that someone watches television. You can say that someone watches or sees a particular programme.Similarly, you say that someone watches a sport such as football, but you can say that they watch or see a particular match.