watchdog
/ˈwɒtʃdɒɡ
/noun
1A dog kept to guard private property.The Gauls tried to climb the Capitol at night, eluding the watchdogs and the Roman guard, but the flock of geese sacred to Juno spotted them and roused the Romans in time....
- Just as a watchdog guards a home, so the agency should be vigilant against fraudulent or dangerous products.
- In the same vein, having fur and teeth and canine DNA doesn't necessarily make your dog a reliable watchdog.
Synonyms
guard dog, house dog
1.1A person or group that monitors the practices of companies providing a particular service or utility: the consumer watchdog for transport in London...
- The council is the watchdog established to set, monitor and enforce standards in all areas of general insurance, including the fair treatment of customers.
- To others it's an essential watchdog needed to prevent discriminatory practices in the workplace.
- The watchdog's practice of warning nurseries of the month that they would be inspected was also highlighted.
Synonyms
ombudsman, monitor, scrutineer, inspector, observer, supervisor;
custodian, guardian, guard, protector
verb (watchdogs, watchdogging, watchdogged) [with object]
Monitor (a person, activity, or situation): how can we watchdog our investments?...
- Yours truly enjoys watchdogging the media coverage of our activities.
- The Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel has been doing a fantastic job watchdogging hurricane-related fraud in Miami-Dade County, Fl.
- Rather than watchdogging the issue, the press just passed on the false assurances.