circumstantial evidence
Americannoun
noun
Etymology
Origin of circumstantial evidence
First recorded in 1730–40
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.
"It was the DNA evidence, as our prosecution barrister highlighted, that glued all of that circumstantial evidence together to build such a strong case that led to his guilty plea," Gray said.
From BBC • Feb. 10, 2026
Like a criminal trial with no eyewitnesses, the prosecution of the “Queens of Combat” question relies on a cistern’s worth of circumstantial evidence, which may or may not add up to a case.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 27, 2026
A chronology of top quarterback movement in recent days provides circumstantial evidence that Louisiana State and Williams have mutual interest.
From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 7, 2026
“It is like circumstantial evidence in a Sherlock Holmes mystery,” said Slok.
From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 12, 2025
Based on leads from informants and from circumstantial evidence, the private detectives began to develop a crystalline theory of the crime.
From "Killers of the Flower Moon" by David Grann
![]()
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.