ENGLISH
REFERENCE

watched

v.
A1 Beginner US //ˈwɑtʃt// UK //wˈɒtʃt// watched

v. looked at something for a period of time to see what happened. You use this when you pay attention to a movie, a game, or a person's actions.

v. the past tense and past participle of 'watch', meaning to observe attentively over a period of time. Typically describes purposeful visual attention directed at a moving or changing target.


SIMPLE

We watched a movie together last night.

CONTEXTUAL

The security guard watched the monitors closely for any signs of movement in the hallway.

COMPLEX

As the sun dipped below the horizon, the researchers watched the rare birds return to their nests, documenting every movement for their final report.

Synonyms
Usage

Transitive when followed by an object; can also be used intransitively to describe the general act of observing.

Pitfall

I watched to the televisionI watched televisionUnlike 'listen', the verb 'watch' is transitive and does not take the preposition 'to' before its object.

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