character witness

American  

noun

1. a person who testifies as to the moral character and reputation of a litigant in a court of law or other legal proceeding.

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Etymology

Origin of character witness

First recorded in 1950–55

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

character witness

A defendant representing himself who called his own father as a character witness.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 9, 2026

Last year, she received a letter from Bishop of Southwark Christopher Chessun saying he regretted Bishop Wood had given a character witness during the 1988 trial.

From BBC ● Jan. 18, 2025

And Stephen A. Smith, who pioneered debate sports TV with Bayless on ESPN’s “First Take” from 2012-16, essentially became a character witness for Bayless while underscoring that the lawsuit should be taken seriously.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 7, 2025

But that time most of his colleagues stood by him - including fellow New Jersey Democratic Sen. Cory Booker, who was a character witness in his trial.

From Washington Times ● Sep. 29, 2023

Although I had not witnessed the fight, I was asked to be a character witness.

From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela