watch over

verb

To guard and protect.

“She stayed up all night to watch over the sick infant.”

Similar
watchobservefollowkeep an eye ontrace
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Meanings

verbwatch over (third-person singular simple present watches over, present participle watching over, simple past and past participle watched over)

present singular third person watches over · participle present watching over · participle past watched over · past watched over

  1. idiomaticTo guard and protect.

    She stayed up all night to watch over the sick infant.

    1 more example

    I like to think / (it has to be!) / of a cybernetic ecology / where we are free of our labors / and joined back to nature, / returned to our mammal / brothers and sisters, / and all watched over / by machines of loving grace.

    1967, Richard Brautigan, All Watched Over by Machines of Loving Grace

Synonyms & antonyms

verbfollow with the eyes or the mind

Similar
watchobservefollowkeep an eye ontrace
Broader
checkcheck up onlook into
Also see
followkeep an eye onobservewatch

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Translations

Catalan vigilar
  • vigilarto guard and protect
Chinese Mandarin 守护
  • 守护 (shǒuhù)to guard and protect
Czech bdít
  • bdítto guard and protect
Dutch bewaren, bewaken
  • bewarento guard and protect
  • bewakento guard and protect
  • behoedento guard and protect
Esperanto gardi
  • gardito guard and protect
Finnish kaitsea
  • kaitseato guard and protect
French veiller
  • veillerto guard and protect
German behüten, wachen
  • behütento guard and protect
  • wachento guard and protect
Icelandic gæta
  • gætato guard and protect
Irish aireachasaigh
  • aireachasaighto guard and protect
Italian vegliare, piantonare
  • vegliareto guard and protect
  • piantonareto guard and protect
Japanese 見守る
  • 見守る (mimamoru)to guard and protect
Korean 지키다
  • 지키다 (jikida)to guard and protect
Latin servō, asservō
  • servōto guard and protect
  • asservōto guard and protect
  • invīsōto guard and protect
Polish czuwać
  • czuwaćto guard and protect
Portuguese cuidar
  • cuidarto guard and protect
Romanian păzi
  • păzito guard and protect
Russian опека́ть, наблюдать за
  • опека́ть (opekátʹ)to guard and protect
  • наблюдать за (nabljudatʹ za)to guard and protect
Ukrainian опікати, наглядати
  • опікати (opikaty)to guard and protect
  • наглядати (nahljadaty)to guard and protect
Yiddish וואַכן
  • וואַכן (vakhn)to guard and protect
Cite this entry
APA

watch over. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/watch%20over

MLA

“watch over.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/watch%20over. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “watch over,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/watch%20over.

Source: watch over on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.