to wit

Idioms  

1. That is to say, namely, as in There are three good reasons for not going, to wit, we don't want to, we don't have to, and we can't get a reservation. This expression comes from the now archaic verb to wit, meaning “know or be aware of,” not heard except in this usage. [Late 1500s]

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

to wit

The crude special effects won’t win her an Oscar, but on TikTok, perfection takes a backseat to wit.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 4, 2023

When you have an emotional reason to put yourself first, you give yourself and your motives a pass — to wit, “the basement was not helping my mental state.”

From Washington Post ● Dec. 16, 2022

First, a reminder that our scale is different from Yelp’s — to wit:

From Seattle Times ● Sep. 12, 2019

To Virginia’s first U.S. senator, retaining royal prerogatives in the American presidency disabled the “three legged Stool” of coequal branches, to wit, “if one leg is longer than another, the Stool will not stand.”

From Salon ● Aug. 23, 2018

He was a friend of another congenial worthy, John Aubrey to wit.

From The Portsmouth Road and Its Tributaries To-Day and in Days of Old by Harper, Charles G. (Charles George)

Related Words

• especially
• i.e.
• particularly
• specially
• specifically