watch out

IPA/wˈɒtʃ ˈaʊt/
IPA/wˈɑːtʃ ˈaʊt/

watch out — phrasal verb

  • watch outbase form
  • watches out3rd person singular
  • watching out-ing form
  • watched outpast simple

1. to stay alert so that you notice a danger or problem before it can hurt you.

1.phrasal verbintransitiveA2
Definition

to stay alert so that you notice a danger or problem before it can hurt you.

Example

Drivers must watch out when children are crossing near the school gate.

watch out + when-clause for staying alert to danger

Élise told the hikers to watch out, because the rocks near the cliff were loose.

Common collocations
  • watch out for
  • you'd better watch out
Synonyms
  • look out

    very close in meaning; equally informal and often used as a shouted warning

  • beware

    more formal and often seen on written signs

  • take care

    softer; advice to be cautious rather than an urgent alert

Grammar Patterns

watch out!

watch out for + noun

Usage Note

Frequently used in the imperative, either alone ('Watch out!') as a sudden warning or with 'for' to name the specific danger. The subject is usually a person who could be harmed.

Common Mistakes

Watch out the car!
Watch out for the car!
you need 'for' before the thing you should avoid.

2. to keep looking carefully for someone or something that you expect or hope to fi

2.phrasal verbintransitiveB1
Definition

to keep looking carefully for someone or something that you expect or hope to find.

Example

The new manager asked staff to watch out for unusual charges on the company card.

watch out for + noun you are hoping to spot

Caleb stood at the window to watch out for the postman with his exam results.

Common collocations
  • watch out for signs
  • watch out for changes
Synonyms

Grammar Patterns

watch out for + noun

Usage Note

Almost always takes 'for' plus the thing you are scanning for. Distinguish from sense 1: here the focus is on spotting something you are actively looking for, not on avoiding a danger that threatens you.

Synonym discussion

Sense: phrasal verb/1

All three tell someone to be careful, but they differ in tone and place of use. 'Watch out' and 'look out' are the everyday spoken choices; you shout either one when a friend is about to step off a kerb into traffic. They are almost identical, though 'look out' can sound a touch more urgent as a sudden cry. 'Beware' is formal and mostly written — it appears on signs like 'Beware of the dog' rather than in normal conversation, and saying it aloud sounds old-fashioned or playful. Use 'watch out (for)' when you name the danger to a person face to face, and save 'beware' for warnings printed for the public. For example, a parent shouts 'Watch out for that bike!', while a council posts 'Beware: thin ice'.

watch out ↗look out ↗beware ↗

Etymology

Old EnglishEnglish

This phrase joins the very old verb 'watch', which once meant to stay awake and keep guard through the night, with the direction word 'out'. 'Out' here adds the sense of looking away from yourself toward the wider area where trouble might appear, so 'watch out' came to mean keeping alert eyes on your surroundings.

First known use

1845

1845, in the meaning defined above