eyewitness

American  

[ahy-wit-nis, ahy-wit-nis, ahy-wit-nis] / ˈaɪˌwɪt nɪs, ˈaɪˈwɪt nɪs, ˈaɪˌwɪt nɪs /

noun

1. a person who actually sees some act, occurrence, or thing and can give a firsthand account of it.

   There were two eyewitnesses to the murder.

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verb (used with object)

1. to view with one's own eyes.

   to eyewitness a murder.

eyewitness British  

/ ˈaɪˌwɪtnɪs /

noun

1. 1. a person present at an event who can describe what happened

   2. ( as modifier )

      an eyewitness account

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Etymology

Origin of eyewitness

First recorded in 1530–40; eye + witness

Example Sentences

An eyewitness described "wall-to-wall" blue lights and said conditions were "bitter and freezing".

From BBC

Pliny the Younger, the sole eyewitness to leave an account of the tragedy, likened the experience to being locked in a room in which the lamp had gone out.

From The Wall Street Journal

“We were looking for all eyewitnesses, anybody that was home at the time,” he said.

From Los Angeles Times

It was so dramatic that one eyewitness driving behind Mr Koh later testified that he thought it was a movie shoot.

From BBC

David Ohara, an eyewitness to the incident, later described what he saw on X.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• bystander
• observer
• witness