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

It was a place for tourists to engage with the geologic history of the mountain, hear eyewitness accounts of the eruption, and act as a gateway to hiking trails.

From Literature

Video from the scene did not clearly capture the alleged attack, and Bovino was the only Border Patrol official who testified as an eyewitness.

From Los Angeles Times

Multiple eyewitness accounts and videos showed air defence systems apparently engaging unidentified projectiles in the early hours of Thursday.

From BBC

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

But eyewitnesses at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya say Hadjar was on his first lap on a set of intermediate tyres having just switched from full wet tyres.

From BBC

Related Words

• bystander
• observer
• witness