ob ‧ serv ‧ er /əbˈzɜːvə $ -ɜːrvər/ BrE AmE noun [countable]
1 . someone who regularly watches or pays attention to particular things, events, situations etc
observer of
an observer of nature
political observers
Observers are predicting a fall in interest rates.
2 . someone who attends meetings, classes, events etc to check what is happening:
The UN sent observers to the peace talks.
Independent observers monitored the elections.
3 . someone who sees or looks at something:
reports from observers at sea and on dry land
casual observer (=someone looking at something but not very carefully)
A casual observer would have guessed his age at 70.
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THESAURUS
■ someone who watches something
▪ spectator someone who watches an event, especially a sports event:
There were 4,500 spectators at the game.
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a crowd of spectators
▪ viewer someone who watches television:
Millions of television viewers listened to the President’s speech.
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programmes for younger viewers
▪ audience the people who watch a play or performance, or the people who watch a particular television programme:
The audience roared with laughter and clapped.
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It attracted a television audience of seven million.
▪ onlooker someone who watches something happening without being involved in it, especially in the street:
A man was standing on the roof, watched by a crowd of onlookers below.
▪ observer someone who watches and pays attention to particular situations and events, because they are interested in them, or it is their job:
She was a shrewd observer of human nature.
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a political observer who writes for The Independent newspaper
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The United Nations has sent military observers to the Sudan.