The best replacement verb for 'watched' in the sentence is 'gazed at'.
The best option to replace the verb 'watched' in the sentence 'Kimo watched the waves, hoping to see the whale breach again' would be 'gazed at'. This verb conveys the idea of looking intently or steadily, which fits well with the context of watching the waves for the whale. For example, 'Kimo gazed at the waves, hoping to see the whale breach again.'
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