watchman

[ woch-muh n ]

/ ˈwɒtʃ mən /

a person who keeps guard over a building at night, to protect it from fire, vandals, or thieves.

(formerly) a person who guards or patrols the streets at night.

Origin of watchman

late Middle English word dating back to 1350–1400; see origin at watch, man¹

watch·man·ly, adjective

Kocurek now works 12-hour shifts as a night watchman guarding the entrance to a drilling patch.

Two Texas Regulators Tried to Enforce the Rules. They Were Fired. |David Hasemyer, InsideClimate News |December 9, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
His usual trick: bribing the night watchman to let him into the bank.

The High Society Bank Robber of the 1800s |J. North Conway |October 19, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
My friends and I went there once or twice a week and waited for the watchman to chase us out.

The Stacks: A Dog Dies, a Boy Grows Up |Pete Dexter |June 21, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
The Wolf and the Watchman: A Father, a Son, and the CIA by Scott C. Johnson, W.W. Norton & Co.

The National Book Awards Longlist for Nonfiction | |September 18, 2013 |DAILY BEAST

As a candid psychological exploration of a highly charged filial relationship, The Wolf and the Watchman fascinates.

Haunted by his Father’s Secret Life in the CIA |Emma Garman |June 16, 2013 |DAILY BEAST
Then he paid some buksheesh (reward) to the night watchman and came home.

Indian Ghost Stories |S. Mukerji
It is quickly challenged by the entry of Antigone with the Watchman, whose story Creon hastens out to hear.

Authors of Greece |T. W. Lumb
In these the amorous knight is represented as pleading with the watchman of the castle for admission to his lady-love.

Woman's Work in Music |Arthur Elson
And Kryltzoff repeated the watchman's words, "Not at all frightful," and tried to smile, but burst into sobs instead.

Resurrection |Leo Tolstoy
It was the "Heynal," the watchman's horn-song from the towers of Panna Marya.

Lady Connie |Mrs. Humphry Ward

watchman

/ (ˈwɒtʃmən) /

a person employed to guard buildings or property

(formerly) a man employed to patrol or guard the streets at night