bear witness
Americanidiom
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to serve as evidence that something is true or real.
Not everyone’s sobriety can bear witness to the effectiveness of rehab, but in her case it most certainly can.
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to proclaim or demonstrate a devout belief in.
Who will join me in bearing witness to our Lord?
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to testify; give or afford evidence, as in a court of law.
When the case went to trial, he reluctantly agreed to bear witness against his neighbor.
Etymology
Origin of bear witness
First recorded in 1300–50
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
At Santa Croce, the world's largest Franciscan church, Giotto's frescoes bear witness to his innovations, including modern spatial techniques such as foreshortening and human figures imparted with a fleshy weightiness.
From Barron's ● Jun. 12, 2026
It’s a chance to bear witness to a silent communion among artists, form and material.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 29, 2026
The 44 images at Regen, accompanied by nine ceramic sculptures, reflect on the mountain’s changing light and environmental vulnerability, continuing Opie’s longstanding interest in how photographs bear witness.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 26, 2026
Effectively, I was the first to bear witness to the obviously caring burial of someone's child that occurred over 11,000 years ago.
From Science Daily ● May 20, 2026
The tower bells were singing, summoning the city to bear witness to her shame.
From "A Dance with Dragons" by George R. R. Martin
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
