Meaning & use
watching over us
Last updated
Meanings
phrasefixed phrase
Protecting or taking care of us and paying close attention to what happens to us.
Grammar: Use it after 'be' or a verb such as 'keep': 'She is watching over us.' The object can change: watching over him, watching over the children.
Patterns
- someone is watching over us
- keep watching over someone
- watching over us from above
My grandmother believed that angels were watching over us every night.
Thanks for watching over us while we were away on holiday.
The security team is watching over us during the whole festival.
phrasefixed phrasefigurative
Guarding or monitoring us in a way that feels constant, sometimes unwelcome.
Grammar: Used about cameras, guards, or authorities; the tone can be neutral or slightly critical.
Patterns
- cameras watching over us
- someone is always watching over us
With cameras on every corner, it feels as if someone is always watching over us.
The new rules mean the managers are watching over us more closely than before.
Common combinations
- angels watching over us
- The song says that angels are watching over us.
- keep watching over us
- Please keep watching over us while we finish the project.
- watching over us from above
- He spoke of his late father watching over us from above.
- always watching over us
- The lifeguards are always watching over us at the pool.
Synonyms and how they differ
- looking after us
- This means taking care of us in a practical way; 'watching over us' stresses protective attention rather than daily care.
- keeping an eye on us
- This is more informal and can simply mean checking on us, without the warm, protective feeling.
- guarding us
- This suggests defense against danger, which is stronger and more physical than watching over.
Opposites
Word family
- watch over phrasal verb
- The base phrasal verb meaning to protect or take care of someone.
- watcher noun
- A person who watches something or someone.
Commonly confused: watching over us or watching us?
watching over us vs watching us
'Watching us' just means looking at us; 'watching over us' adds the idea of protection and care.
Practice
Which sentence uses the phrase in its usual, protective sense?
Choose one answer.
The protective sense means caring for and guarding someone, as in the brother example. Option 0 is about catching cheaters, which is not protective; option 2 is just a bird looking at us; option 3 is nonsense because rain cannot watch.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “watching over us”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.