keep a close watch

verb

To pay careful attention to a situation or a thing, so that you can deal with any changes or problems.

“The prime minister asked the home secretary to keep a close watch on the flooding situation.”

Ask AI about this wordChatGPTClaudePerplexityGoogle AIGrok

Meanings

verbkeep a close watch (third-person singular simple present keeps a close watch, present participle keeping a close watch, simple past and past participle kept a close watch)

present singular third person keeps a close watch · participle present keeping a close watch · participle past kept a close watch · past kept a close watch

  1. idiomaticTo pay careful attention to a situation or a thing, so that you can deal with any changes or problems.

    The prime minister asked the home secretary to keep a close watch on the flooding situation.

Translations

Chinese Mandarin 密切留意
  • 密切留意 (mìqiè liúyì)pay careful attention
Finnish pitää tarkasti silmällä
  • pitää tarkasti silmälläpay careful attention
Cite this entry
APA

keep a close watch. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/keep%20a%20close%20watch

MLA

“keep a close watch.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/keep%20a%20close%20watch. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “keep a close watch,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/keep%20a%20close%20watch.

Source: keep a close watch on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.