watching brief
noun/ˌwɒtʃɪŋ ˈbriːf/
/ˈwɑːtʃɪŋ briːf/
[singular]- the task of watching a group or situation to report on what is happening but without getting directly involved
- to have/keep/hold a watching brief on somebody
Want to learn more?
Find out which words work together and produce more natural sounding English with the Oxford Collocations Dictionary app.
Check pronunciation:
watching brief