night watch
4
4.7
- noun
- /naɪt wɑtʃ/
:
guardia nocturna
- It was to this face that I had yearned in the endless hours of the night watch.
- back on the night watch
- begin the night watch
When we were all cave people, there was a night watch person and that person would sit by the fire.
- When we were all cave people, there was a night watch person and that person would sit by the fire.
Examples
-
Tina should have been off night watch, what, 2 hours ago?
-
It was the middle of the night watch, the lights in the station were dimmed, and no one else was around.
Fiction book (2001) -
I will come back before the night watch ends.
-
Oh, it's the community night watch program.
-
It's my shift for community night watch.
-
Take this to the captain of the night watch.
-
"Good to have you back sharing the night watch," she said.
Fiction book (1991) -
Tomorrow I've got a night watch shift.
Fiction book (2001) -
It was Monday, June 11th, 6:15 a.m. I had been working the night watch on the Place Vendôme outside the Ritz Hotel.
-
During the summer festival, local volunteers took turns on the night watch to ensure everyone's safety.
Synonyms
442
4.2
A time when people stay awake to guard or look for danger
179
1.0
A time when someone watches and protects a place or people
1
9.6
A night shift on a ship between midnight and four in the morning
The time on a ship from midnight to four in the morning when crew are on duty
A late-night work shift from midnight to early morning on ships or in factories
How Vigilant
4
4.7
5
5.3
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'a period of guard duty at night' is directly and compositionally derived from 'night' (the nightly interval) combined with 'watch' (a scheduled period or team assigned to guard). This is a transparent, cross-linguistically common compound, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents would readily infer the MWE's meaning.
Etymology
The noun night watch comes from the simple image of people doing a watch at night, staying awake to look for danger while others sleep. That's why it means 'a period of guard duty during the night'.