Meaning
To observe a person or thing very closely and continuously, usually to make sure nothing wrong is done or to catch the slightest change. It suggests sharp, wary vigilance of the kind that misses no detail, whether from a suspicious supervisor or a nervous owner. Neutral but implies wariness or suspicion; common in supervision, policing and financial contexts. Regional use: General English.
Origin
The simile rests on the exceptional eyesight of hunting birds: a hawk circling high overhead can spot a small animal on the ground, which made it the natural yardstick for keen observation. The American Heritage Dictionary of Idioms records the expression as meaning to observe very closely, noting that it alludes to the hawk's exceptionally keen sight, and Cambridge defines the current sense of watching someone constantly, usually to prevent bad behaviour. Popular accounts often claim a specific origin in medieval falconry, but the standard references document only the keen-sight imagery, and no reliable first-use date appears in them; the idiom is simply a long-established simile, a cousin of eyes like a hawk. Watch here carries its older sense of keeping guard or keeping someone under observation rather than merely looking.
Research Sources
References used to check this entry’s meaning, history, or documented forms.
Variants
- eyes like a hawk
- watch someone like a hawk
- watched like a hawk
- watching it like a hawk
Usage Examples
- The referee watched the goalkeeper like a hawk, waiting for a handling error.
- Watch the timer like a hawk or the caramel will burn.
- Her supervisor watched her like a hawk during the first week of training.