watch

watch¹ W1S1 [wɔtʃ US wa:tʃ, wo:tʃ] v

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1¦(look)¦

2¦(be careful)¦

3¦(pay attention)¦

4¦(care for)¦

5¦(secretly)¦

6 watch your step

7 watch your back

8 watch the clock

9 watch the time

10 watch it

11 watch this space

12 one to watch

13 watch the world go by

14 you watch

Phrasal verbs

　watch (out) for something

　watch out

　watch over somebody

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[: Old English; Origin: wAccan]

1.) ¦(LOOK)¦ [I and T]

to look at someone or something for a period of time, paying attention to what is happening

▪ Do you mind if I watch?

▪ We sat and watched the sunset.

watch carefully/closely/intently etc

▪ He watched helplessly as Paula fell into the icy water.

▪ Watch carefully. You may learn something.

watch (sb/sth) with interest/amusement/delight etc

▪ Harriet watched him with interest.

watch sb/sth do/doing sth

▪ I watched him go, then went home.

▪ Ruth could not bear to watch her parents arguing.

watch to do sth

▪ I watched to see how he'd react.

watch television/a film etc

▪ The debate was watched by 97 million viewers.

▪ Most parents don't know what their kids are watching on TV .

watch what/how/when etc

▪ It's useful to watch how other pilots handle the glider.

see usage note ↑see¹

2.) ¦(BE CAREFUL)¦ [T]

to act carefully in order to avoid an accident or unwanted situation

watch (that)

▪ Watch he doesn't run into the road.

▪ She's a student and has to watch her budget closely.

▪ Watch your head on the shelf.

watch what/how/where etc

▪ Silly old fool! Why doesn't he watch where he's going ?

▪ Watch what you're doing ! It's spilling everywhere!

▪ Watch yourself (=be careful) in Madrid; there are some rough areas.

watch what you say/your tongue/your language/your mouth etc

(=be careful not to hurt or offend people by what you say)

▪ Employees should watch what they say in personal emails.

watch your weight/watch what you eat

(=be careful not to get fat)

▪ He may be a former athlete, but he still has to watch his weight.

3.) ¦(PAY ATTENTION)¦ [T]

to pay attention to a situation that interests or worries you to see how it develops

watch closely/carefully

▪ American companies are watching Japanese developments closely.

▪ The government will watch the progress of these schemes with interest.

4.) ¦(CARE FOR)¦ [T]

to stay with someone or something so that nothing bad happens to them

▪ She watches the kids for us occasionally.

5.) ¦(SECRETLY)¦ [T]

to secretly watch a person or place

▪ I feel like I'm being watched.

6.) watch your step informal

to be careful, especially about making someone angry

▪ He soon saw he'd have to watch his step with some of these guys.

7.) watch your back informal

to be careful because other people may try to harm you

8.) watch the clock informal

to keep looking at the time because you are worried or bored

▪ anxious mums watching the clock

9.) watch the time

to make sure you know what time it is to avoid being late

10.) watch it

spoken used to warn someone to be careful

▪ Watch it, there's a car.

11.) watch this space informal

used to tell people to pay attention in the future because things are going to develop further - used especially in newspapers

12.) one to watch

someone or something that people should pay attention to because they are interesting or exciting

▪ In the tournament so far, Italy's Stefania Croce looks like the one to watch.

13.) watch the world go by

to relax outside by just looking at the people around you

▪ lingering in a pavement cafe, watching the world go by

14.) you watch informal

used to tell someone that you know what will happen

▪ He'll win this time, you watch.

→watch sb like a hawk at ↑hawk¹

watch (out) for [watch (out) for sth] phr v

to pay close attention in a particular situation because you are expecting something to happen or you want to avoid something bad

▪ She stepped outside to watch for the cab.

▪ What problems should I watch out for when buying an old house?

watch out phr v

used to tell someone to be careful

▪ You'll become an alcoholic if you don't watch out .

watch over [watch over sb] phr v

to protect someone so that they are not harmed

▪ There must have been an angel watching over me that day.

watch ²

watch² W3S3 n

↑date, ↑face, ↑hand, ↑strap

1.)

a small clock that you wear on your wrist or keep in your pocket

▪ My watch has stopped .

look at/glance at/consult your watch

▪ She glanced nervously at her watch.

▪ How do you keep track of time if you don't wear a watch ?

2.) [singular, U]

when you watch someone or something carefully, or pay careful attention to them, so that you are ready to act if necessary

▪ The police arrived to keep watch on the mouth of the tunnel.

watch on/over

▪ He and his wife maintained a 24-hour watch over their son.

▪ Security forces kept a close watch on our activities.

3.) keep a watch out for sb/sth also be on the watch for sb/sth

to be looking and waiting for something that might happen or someone you might see, especially so that you can avoid danger, trouble etc

▪ Be on the watch for anything suspicious.

4.)

a group of people whose job is to guard or protect someone or something

▪ We were arrested and held until the arrival of the night watch (=people responsible for keeping the streets safe at night, especially in past times) .

→↑neighbourhood watch

5.) [U and C]

a period of time when it is someone's duty to stay somewhere and look for signs of danger

▪ The first watch is from now until midnight.

on watch

▪ Who's on watch tonight?