monitor

to monitor

‘Monitor’ is a technical word meaning to continue to check something over a period of time. The government, for instance, monitors the press in order to see how positive or negative the political reporting is. Schools and hospitals need to monitor the progress of their students and patients. ‘Monitor’ can also be used as a noun to mean the device you use to monitor things – so people can wear a heart-rate monitor to see how fast their heart is beating during exercise. ‘Monitor’ is also another word for the separate unit containing the screen that comes with many computers.

Reception staff were asked to monitor enquiries and report any changes in demand