to stand watch
- phrasal verb
- /stænd wɑtʃ/
- Jargon
- Babe and I will stand watch until it's light enough to get an early start.
- guards stand watch
- police officers stand watch
- soldiers stood watch
And it was the Malden Police chief who personally stood watch that first night.
- And it was the Malden Police chief who personally stood watch that first night.
Examples
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We better stand watch around here, just the same.
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It's so important that we all stand watch now.
Blog text (32) -
But for now, we just stand watch.
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I thought you were standing watch.
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Someone needs to stand watch.
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Let the King stand watch.
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Three guards stood watch over the coffin.
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You are not the only guardian to stand watch over Middle-Earth.
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We stand watch together.
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The soldiers must stand watch all night to ensure the camp's safety.
Synonyms
Take care of someone or something to keep them safe and working
To watch someone or something carefully to make sure nothing bad happens
Watch carefully to notice danger or help someone
To look after someone or something to keep them safe
To stay alert and watch for danger or trouble
To stay in one place and watch to protect someone or something
Look at a person or thing very carefully for a while to notice problems
To stay and watch to protect people or a place
To watch and guard a place or person
Antonyms
How Watchful
- Jargon
- Informal
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'to remain on duty as a guard' follows directly from combining 'stand' (to remain in place/on duty) with 'watch' (a period or duty of guarding). This verb + noun composition is a regular, cross-linguistically common pattern (e.g. 'stand guard', 'keep watch') and is therefore immediately inferable by a B1 learner who knows both constituent senses.
Etymology
Stand watch comes from the simple image of someone standing in one place and keeping watch, staying awake to look for danger or enemies. That's why it means 'to remain on duty as a guard'.