1
as in custodians
a person or group that watches over someone or something
hired a watchman to patrol the factory at night
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
as in keepers
a person who takes care of a property sometimes for an absent owner
a watchman lives next door to scare off prowlers
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of watchmen
Francis Ford Coppola meditates on the question of who is watching the watchmen in The Conversation, a neo-noir mystery thriller about the human side of surveillance.
—
Kevin Jacobsen,
Entertainment Weekly,
6 June 2026
Ideas like reparative journalism and sousveillance — an antonym for surveillance, concerning watching the watchmen in a reversal of power — earn fleeting mentions, but are never the focus of actual inquiry.
—
Siddhant Adlakha,
Variety,
14 Mar. 2026
Kevin Jacobsen,
Entertainment Weekly,
6 June 2026
Ideas like reparative journalism and sousveillance — an antonym for surveillance, concerning watching the watchmen in a reversal of power — earn fleeting mentions, but are never the focus of actual inquiry.
—
Siddhant Adlakha,
Variety,
14 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for watchmen
Noun
-
Williams has never lacked interpreters, custodians, handlers, or rescuers with pruning shears.
-
Some custodians give checkbooks to IRA owners.
Noun
-
Gill leads the keepers in defending the goal, followed by Gregor Kobel (Switzerland), Beiranvand, Diogo Costa (Portugal), Benjamin Asare (Ghana), Mostafa Shoubir (Egypt), Eloy Room (Curacao), Pickford, Vozinha, and Mohammed Alowais (Saudi Arabia).
-
Born in a facility out West, Yonnie was about 3 months old when she and her companion bear, Kodiak, were flown to Charlotte to meet their new keepers, officials said.
Noun
-
The Lakers were eliminated by Oklahoma City, who relied on standout performances from young guards Jared McCain and Ajay Mitchell to overcome a quiet series from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and an injury to Jalen Williams.
-
Armed guards routinely patrol outside synagogues, Jewish community centers and schools.
Noun
-
At least two Colorado prison wardens participated in a racist, homophobic group chat on both personal and work cellphones for years, prompting an internal investigation into their conduct that has stretched for 15 months.
-
The juvenile bear’s wander across campus late Thursday and early Friday prompted an advisory to students and a search by UC Davis police and wardens from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife as well as Yolo County Animal Control.
Noun
-
This winning series captures a row of poplar trees planted along the banks of the River Po in Italy, which are natural guardians against flooding, now standing immersed in perfectly still water beneath soft, diffused light.
-
After July 4, parents, guardians, grandparents and others can also contribute up to $5,000 a year.
Noun
-
Some hospital staff, like janitors and cafeteria workers, still make minimum wage.
-
Twice a month, students, janitors, security guards and other school staff can come get a full bag of produce.
Noun
-
Here and there, fire, wind, and flood would have broken the forest into a mosaic of old and new, grass and forest, shrubs and sentinels.
-
At the end of one of the castle’s walkways, after a turn or two—by electric cart, bicycle, or on foot—and with the air filled with the scent of pine, rosemary, and jasmine, the sentinels are waiting, carved into the rock where the fort’s cannons were once located.
Noun
-
The congregation started to arrive at the usual time, about half an hour before Mass on a recent Saturday afternoon, the old church slowly filling with the descendants and caretakers of a place of great serenity but also great loss.
-
Over the weekend, however, caretakers observed a rapid decline in Makan’s condition.
Cite this Entry
“Watchmen.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/watchmen. Accessed 6 Jul. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
