witness

American  

[wit-nis] / ˈwɪt nɪs /

verb (used with object)

• witnesses,
  present (3rd person singular)
• witnessed,
  past participle,  past
• witnessing
  present participle

1. to see, hear, or know by personal presence and perception.

   to witness an accident.

   Synonyms:

   note, notice, mark, watch, perceive

2. to be present at (an occurrence) as a formal witness, spectator, bystander, etc..

   She witnessed our wedding.

3. to bear witness to; testify to; give or afford evidence of.

4. to attest by one's signature.

   He witnessed her will.

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verb (used without object)

• witnesses,
  present (3rd person singular)
• witnessed,
  past participle,  past
• witnessing
  present participle

1. to bear witness; testify; give or afford evidence.

noun

• witnesses
  plural

1. an individual who, being present, personally sees or perceives a thing; a beholder, spectator, or eyewitness.

2. a person or thing that affords evidence.

3. a person who gives testimony, as in a court of law.

4. a person who signs a document attesting the genuineness of its execution.

5. testimony or evidence.

   to bear witness to her suffering.

   Synonyms:

   substantiation, confirmation, proof

6. (initial capital letter) a member of the Jehovah's Witnesses.

witness British  

/ ˈwɪtnɪs /

noun

1. a person who has seen or can give first-hand evidence of some event

2. a person or thing giving or serving as evidence

3. a person who testifies, esp in a court of law, to events or facts within his own knowledge

4. a person who attests to the genuineness of a document, signature, etc, by adding his own signature

5. 1. to give written or oral testimony

   2. to be evidence or proof of

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verb

1. (tr) to see, be present at, or know at first hand

2. to give or serve as evidence (of)

3. (tr) to be the scene or setting of

   this field has witnessed a battle

4. (intr) to testify, esp in a court of law, to events within a person's own knowledge

5. (tr) to attest to the genuineness of (a document, signature, etc) by adding one's own signature

Usage

What does witness mean? A witness is someone who was present at or perceives an incident, event, or occurrence, as in Jamal was a witness to the fact that I completed all my homework. People who witness something typically do so through seeing, although they can also witness a smell or sound. In order to witness an event, one must simply be present at the time the event happened, even if the witness was not directly involved. To witness something is to see, hear, sense, or know something, as in I witnessed our dog running out the door, but I didn’t see where she went. To witness is also to testify or give evidence, especially in a court of law. Example: The key witness in the theft case was a local shop owner.

Synonym Usage

See observe.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• prewitness
  noun
• self-witness
  noun
• witnesser
  noun
• self-witnessed
  adjective
• well-witnessed
  adjective
• witnessable
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• witnesses
  plural

Participles

• witnessing
  present
• witnessed
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• witness
  simple
• witnesses
  simple
• have witnessed
  perfect
• has witnessed
  perfect
• am witnessing
  progressive
• are witnessing
  progressive
• is witnessing
  progressive
• have been witnessing
  perfect progressive
• has been witnessing
  perfect progressive

Past

• witnessed
  simple
• had witnessed
  perfect
• was witnessing
  progressive
• were witnessing
  progressive
• had been witnessing
  perfect progressive

Future

• will witness
  simple
• will have witnessed
  perfect
• will be witnessing
  progressive
• will have been witnessing
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of witness

First recorded before 950; (noun) Middle English, Old English witnes originally, “knowledge, understanding”; see wit ¹, -ness; (verb) Middle English, derivative of the noun

Explanation

If you're walking down the street and see one car run a red light and plow into another, you are a witness to the accident. You saw it and can tell someone else how the accident happened. The first part of a witness's role is observation. You witness the accident. The second part is telling someone about it — bearing witness. In court, you can be a witness for the defense or prosecution. You can also witness a legal document, like a will, or a wedding conducted by the justice of the peace. Religious people use this word a lot too: being a witness in that sense is being a true believer who tries to convert others.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

witness witnesses witnessed witnessing

In recent days Meta, which has more than three billion users around the world, tried to block ex-Meta employee and expert witness, Arturo Bejar, from testifying.

From Barron's ● Aug. 18, 2026

The first witness, Garry Dale, a Las Vegas Metro police officer, testified that he saw Shakur pulled out of the car with gunshot wounds and rode in the ambulance with him.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 17, 2026

The witness list includes several of Shakur’s family members and Nevada Gov. Joe Lombardo, who was formerly an officer of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 17, 2026

Two women witness the strange murder of a neighbor and begin to believe that something could be lurking in the mist that’s enveloped the Earth.

From Salon ● Aug. 17, 2026

Dr. Charles Leale, seated in the front of the first balcony, about forty feet from the president’s box, had arrived in time to witness it all.

From "Chasing Lincoln's Killer" by James L. Swanson

Meta founder and chief Mark Zuckerberg is among the star witnesses expected to testify.

From Barron's ● Aug. 18, 2026

Over the next few weeks, witnesses, experts, investigators and possibly even some celebrity witnesses are slated to give evidence about what occurred that night.

From BBC ● Aug. 18, 2026

They have appealed for witnesses to the crash or anyone driving on that stretch of the motorway at the time to contact them.

From BBC ● Aug. 17, 2026

Prosecutors are expected to call witnesses to support Davis’s claims from over the years.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 17, 2026

If his case wasn't overturned on direct appeal, we'd have a chance to file a postconviction petition later, and we would need new evidence, new witnesses, and new facts to prove Walter's innocence.

From "Just Mercy" by Bryan Stevenson

Saldaña said she was out Tuesday night in the area with volunteers from community planning groups, including Law, and witnessed groundwater “literally coming up and flooding the streets.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 18, 2026

McManus said gardaí who attended the scene could require counselling for "months or years" to deal with the psychological impact of what they witnessed.

From BBC ● Aug. 18, 2026

Residents in Nagekeo, the area closest to the epicentre, raced for higher ground as the sea retreated earlier Saturday -- a possible sign of an approaching tsunami, AFP journalists witnessed.

From Barron's ● Aug. 15, 2026

These elder statesmen have witnessed leaders of the world’s tech, finance and real estate businesses flock to South Florida, often attracted by lower taxes.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 15, 2026

“To you and your sisters. I know it, Madame confides in me. I witnessed her will, and it is to be so,” whispered Esther smiling.

From "Little Women" by Louisa May Alcott

Combined with other observations, including its exceptionally high temperature, the measurements led the researchers to conclude that they were witnessing a star being ripped apart and swallowed by a black hole.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 16, 2026

Mangione, wearing tan jail garb, told the judge that after enduring severe pain, and witnessing others with similar experiences, he learned of the company’s investor conference.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026

Villarreal: Something that stands out with Agnes is we’re witnessing her awakening.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 13, 2026

But the experience will not be similar to witnessing a total eclipse.

From Barron's ● Aug. 11, 2026

What I was witnessing was a self discovering the self it could be.

From "Middlesex: A Novel" by Jeffrey Eugenides

Related Words

• attend
• mark
• note
• notice
• see
• watch