hostile witness

British

noun

a witness who gives evidence against the party calling him

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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.

Prosecutors had hoped to flip Weisselberg or company controller Jeffrey McConney, who was nearly labeled a hostile witness during the Trump Organization trial, but ultimately were unable to get their full cooperation.

From Salon • Jan. 18, 2023

Prosecutors consider McConney a reluctant witness, and had sought unsuccessfully that he be declared a hostile witness so they could question him more aggressively.

From Reuters • Nov. 10, 2022

However, District Judge Andrew Sweet said the CPS could compel Mrs Barton to give evidence or treat her as a hostile witness.

From BBC • Oct. 31, 2022

Tracey Westerhausen, a registered Democrat and defense lawyer who said she has faced Mitchell in 30 cases, recalled a time when a hostile witness broke out in a coughing fit as Mitchell examined him.

From Washington Post • Sep. 26, 2018

You haven't established Mr. Cruz as a hostile witness.

From "Monster" by Walter Dean Myers

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023