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

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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

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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

One of the best places to witness the region’s transformation into a destination for artists and collectors is Arthouse, a gallery in Marble Falls.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 29, 2026

Journalists including AFP witness Bolsonaro's official motorcade leaving his Brasilia residence.

From Barron's ● Oct. 28, 2026

It’s a place most dream of escaping; instead L.A.-born novelist Alexander Maksik takes readers inside the airport to witness both the unease and shared humanity of people passing through.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 28, 2026

Brand entered the witness box and took the oath as his evidence began on Wednesday morning, after the prosecution closed their case.

From BBC ● Oct. 28, 2026

“You’re stumbling about like a pair of headless chickens, when you have a witness to Yakov’s death sitting right here.”

From "The City Beautiful" by Aden Polydoros

The ruling was made after the state asked for the trial to be postponed by a month in order to engage witnesses.

From BBC ● Oct. 27, 2026

The CHP office in Solano is actively investigating the crash and is encouraging witnesses or those who have information about other vehicles involved to contact the office.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 22, 2026

Through Mr. Smith’s skillful use of this and many other primary sources, Mignon Langnas joins her fellow diarists Anne Frank and Victor Klemperer as eyewitnesses to catastrophe and witnesses for posterity.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 21, 2026

"Like everyone, we're examining social media associations, talking to witnesses, friends and colleagues," Victoria police commissioner Mike Bush told journalists.

From Barron's ● Oct. 20, 2026

In each location the reunion drew large crowds, in which witnesses claimed they saw two ghosts from a bygone era materializing one final time for the benefit of the present generation.

From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis

AFP witnessed some pushing and shoving between front-row protesters and officers trying to keep the surging crowd away from Jakarta's central Bundaran HI public square, surrounded by businesses and embassies.

From Barron's ● Oct. 28, 2026

Those people witnessed a beatdown, with the Brewers once again demonstrating why they have been baseball’s best team all season.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 27, 2026

Since then, he has witnessed changes in the visibility of African music.

From BBC ● Oct. 24, 2026

October has witnessed several crises: faltering confidence in the sustainability of the artificial-intelligence boom and chaos in the French bond market are chief among them.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 23, 2026

“A cab came speeding around the corner,” said Helene Castleman, a local baker, who witnessed the accident in front of her business.

From "The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street" by Karina Yan Glaser

Quality stocks, defined as those with superior profitability, strong balance sheets and predictable earnings, are witnessing a breakout in performance, he says.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 19, 2026

"We are witnessing a perfect storm that could throw tens if not hundreds of millions of people back into poverty."

From Barron's ● Oct. 11, 2026

Scholars have claimed that there is something very different about the visceral experience of witnessing the state putting someone to death and the experience of watching that happen on television or a video feed.

From Slate ● Oct. 9, 2026

We’re witnessing the power of pure art, even as Rock cleverly waters down the moment with the sound of an unseen bartender rattling a martini shaker in the background.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 7, 2026

Friends provided Corrie a “retirement” house in Orange County, California, but of course, even bedridden and for the last five years unable to speak, Corrie never stopped witnessing to God’s love.

From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom

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Related Words

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

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