1. (n.) The act of watching; forbearance of sleep; vigil; wakeful, vigilant, or constantly observant attention; close observation; guard; preservative or preventive vigilance; formerly, a watching or guarding by night.

2. (n.) One who watches, or those who watch; a watchman, or a body of watchmen; a sentry; a guard.

3. (n.) The post or office of a watchman; also, the place where a watchman is posted, or where a guard is kept.

4. (n.) The period of the night during which a person does duty as a sentinel, or guard; the time from the placing of a sentinel till his relief; hence, a division of the night.

5. (n.) A small timepiece, or chronometer, to be carried about the person, the machinery of which is moved by a spring.

6. (n.) An allotted portion of time, usually four hour for standing watch, or being on deck ready for duty. Cf. Dogwatch.

7. (n.) That part, usually one half, of the officers and crew, who together attend to the working of a vessel for an allotted time, usually four hours. The watches are designated as the port watch, and the starboard watch.

8. (v. i.) To be awake; to be or continue without sleep; to wake; to keep vigil.

9. (v. i.) To be attentive or vigilant; to give heed; to be on the lookout; to keep guard; to act as sentinel.

10. (v. i.) To be expectant; to look with expectation; to wait; to seek opportunity.

11. (v. i.) To remain awake with any one as nurse or attendant; to attend on the sick during the night; as, to watch with a man in a fever.

12. (v. i.) To serve the purpose of a watchman by floating properly in its place; -- said of a buoy.

13. (v. t.) To give heed to; to observe the actions or motions of, for any purpose; to keep in view; not to lose from sight and observation; as, to watch the progress of a bill in the legislature.

14. (v. t.) To tend; to guard; to have in keeping.

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