bystander
Americannoun
noun
Etymology
Origin of bystander
First recorded in 1610–20; by- + stand ( def. ) + -er 1 ( def. )
Explanation
Someone who observes an event without taking part in it is a bystander. The police may want to interview any bystanders who witnessed a robbery, to get a description of the robber. A bystander does exactly what the word describes: they stand by, watching what's happening but not participating. You'll often hear the phrase "innocent bystander." For example, a newspaper might report on a fight breaking out after a football game, resulting in injuries to innocent bystanders. Before this word was coined around 1610, stander-by was common.
Vocabulary lists containing bystander
Mr. Popper’s Penguins
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"A Job for Valentin" and "In the Heart of a Hero"
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Because They Marched
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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.
As in other federal assault cases, bystander videos as well as police-camera and surveillance footage cast doubt on agents’ claims, in some cases leading to the exoneration of citizens.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 9, 2026
Goncalves told reporters a bystander "stepped in and interjected" and "that's probably what led to a swift end of this tragic event".
From BBC • Feb. 17, 2026
And, finally, your brother-in-law is not an objective bystander.
From MarketWatch • Feb. 8, 2026
“We’re with you!” a bystander can be heard telling her in the video as others blow emergency whistles.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 2, 2026
Always a plain man, Ned now seemed to become part of the background, a bystander to his own life.
From "The Devil in the White City" by Erik Larson
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.
