Overwatch

How to spell overwatch

9 letters · 3 syllables

How to pronounce overwatch

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does overwatch mean?

1. nounA position or role in which one observes and covers others, especially to provide protection or warning.
2. verbTo observe and cover an area or group from a protective vantage point.

Overwatch in a sentence

• noun

  The squad held overwatch from the ridge while the others advanced.

• verb

  Two officers were assigned to overwatch the perimeter throughout the night.

• noun

  A sniper provided overwatch over the entire courtyard.

• verb

  The drone can overwatch the convoy as it crosses open ground.

Where does overwatch come from?

Language of origin: Germanic

This is a native English compound built from two very old Anglo-Saxon parts. The first element, 'over', descends from the Old English 'ofer', meaning 'above' or 'beyond', a word shared across the Germanic languages. The second, 'watch', comes from the Old English 'wæcce', meaning a state of being awake or keeping guard, which is closely related to 'wake' and 'awaken'. Joined together, 'overwatch' literally suggests watching over something from a higher or covering position. The term became firmly established in modern military and tactical usage during the twentieth century, describing a unit that observes and protects another from a vantage point, and it later spread into security and popular culture. Because both halves are familiar everyday words, the spelling holds no real surprises beyond remembering it is written as one solid word.

How the word is built

• over- (above, beyond)
• watch (to guard or observe)