WordGarden.iounwatch
Pronunciation
UK
US
Meanings
Verb
to stop following a thread, repository, channel, or similar item online so you no longer watch it for updates
to mark a movie, episode, video, or similar item as not watched in an app or service
(informal)to undo having seen something, especially disturbing or embarrassing screen content
Beyond the definition
To "unwatch" something usually means choosing to stop following it, especially online. It is most often used when you turn off notifications for a thread, video, repository, channel, or other item you were getting updates from before. In that sense, the word is practical and direct: you were watching it, and now you are not. People use it most in digital spaces, where a site or app lets you watch something and later unwatch it if you no longer want updates.
The word "unwatch" is mainly used in digital contexts. It means to stop watching, following, or tracking something that you had chosen to watch before. Most often, this means turning off notifications or removing an item from a watch list. For example, a user might unwatch a discussion thread, a code repository, an auction item, or a video channel so that new activity no longer sends alerts.
The meaning is usually tied to systems and settings, not to the physical act of looking away. If you stop reading a page or close a video, that is normally just "stop watching," not "unwatch." "Unwatch" suggests undoing an earlier choice to watch something. That is why it appears most naturally in apps, websites, forums, and software platforms that have a watch feature.
In everyday English, the word is still less common than "unsubscribe," "unfollow," or simply "turn off notifications," but it is clear in places where "watch" is already part of the interface. So if a platform says you can watch an item for updates, "unwatch" naturally means to stop getting those updates. The core idea is simple: it is the action of no longer tracking something you had been tracking before.
Examples
- 1
Digital notifications
Tap the bell icon to unwatch the post if you do not want any more notifications.
- Patternunwatch a post/thread/repository
stop following it and stop getting updates
- 2
Project updates
I unwatched the repository after I left the project.
- 3
Regretted viewing
That movie was so creepy that I honestly wish I could unwatch it.
- Phrasewish I could unwatch it
wish I had never seen it
See also
Forms and spellings
1 form open this card.
Main spelling
- unwatch