watch one's back

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watch one's back

verb watches one's back · watching one's back · watched one's back

  1. literally To remain wary of being attacked from behind by surprise; to remain watchful to prevent a predictable attack from being a surprise. the kind of dive bar where you better watch your back
  2. figuratively To be wary of betrayal or an otherwise unexpected attack. the kind of office gossip that prompts you to watch your back

Similar: check one's six, watch one's ass

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verb to be wary

Italianofare attenzione, stare in campana

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MLA

"watch one's back." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/watch%20one's%20back. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

watch one's back. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/watch%20one's%20back

Chicago

"watch one's back." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/watch%20one's%20back.

BibTeX
@misc{watch_one_s_back_2026,
  title = {watch one's back},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/watch%20one's%20back},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}