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night watcher

night watcher

1 6.9
A person who looks after and guards a place at night
  • noun
  • /naɪt ˈwɑːtʃər/
translation icon : vigilante nocturno
  • During his shift as a night watcher, he often listened to the quiet sounds of the sleeping city.

Examples

  • The night watcher patrolled the area every evening.

  • The night watcher made his rounds through the empty corridors every hour.

  • After the incident, a night watcher was hired to ensure the building's security.

  • Many night watchers work in large cities.

  • The night watcher patrolled the park, ensuring that it was safe for late-night visitors.

  • Each evening, the night watcher made rounds to keep an eye on the quiet neighborhood.

  • As the night watcher kept vigil, he noticed a few unusual activities in the area that he reported to the police.

Synonyms

security guard
vsnight watcher
210 1.3

A person who watches and protects a building or people to stop stealing and trouble

is the role limited to employed protection specifically during late hours
watcher
vsnight watcher
89 3.9

A person who watches a place or people to keep them safe

focuses on employed protection duties during the late hours
lookout
vsnight watcher
88 3.7

A person who watches and warns others about danger

is employed to keep continuous protection through the late hours
sentinel
vsnight watcher
31 7.4

A person who watches a place to warn others of danger

focuses on continuous employed protection during the late hours
watchman
vsnight watcher
28 4.1

A person who guards a building or land, usually at night

is the gender-neutral job doing the same night protection
night watchman
vsnight watcher
11 3.2

A person who guards a place at night

is the role for any gender performing the same after dark
patroller
vsnight watcher
4 3.6

A person who checks an area regularly to keep it safe

is more about staying on duty to guard during the late hours
night watchwoman
vsnight watcher
5.3

A woman who guards a building at night

is the role for any gender performing the same after dark
watchwoman
vsnight watcher
6.8

A woman who guards a building or area, often at night

is the gender-neutral job doing the same night protection
wakeman
vsnight watcher
  • Archaic
9.9

A person who watches the streets at night to keep people safe

is the modern employed protector who does similar late duties

Surface Forms

night watcher singular

Morphology

night + watcher

The meaning 'a person who keeps watch at night' is directly and transparently built from 'night' (the period of darkness) + 'watcher' (an observer or guard). This is a straightforward, compositional noun phrase following common compounding patterns cross-linguistically, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents would readily infer the MWE meaning.

Etymology

Night watcher comes from the simple image of a person who stays awake and watches at night, often walking with a lantern to guard houses from fire or thieves. That's why it means 'a person who keeps watch or guards during the night'.