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

To see the picture earlier this month was to witness pure, untempered joy.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 20, 2026

Then came a 90-minute video of Fiona's witness statement to the inquest which laid bare, in stark and emotional detail, her grief at the death of her only son.

From BBC ● Sep. 15, 2026

She said it’s more irritating, for instance, to overhear social-media videos than to witness a face-to-face conversation at the same volume, because “personal listening devices are supposed to be personal.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 15, 2026

Randy Johnson, a developer called as an expert witness in the second lawsuit, advised Carter that many historic buildings on campus are not worth saving.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 11, 2026

But their victory, painful as it was to witness, had also exposed their vulnerability.

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

However, in a trial of the facts the accused will be represented by a legal team and their lawyers can question the witnesses, challenge the evidence and make legal submissions on their behalf.

From BBC ● Sep. 17, 2026

Rush hour traffic was moving slowly when Rios’s Expedition entered one of the busiest junctions in the San Fernando Valley, but the SUV did not appear to brake before it T-boned the bus, witnesses said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 17, 2026

Corroborating evidence can include photos, texts, police reports, hospital records and witnesses, all of which must be handled in a specific way.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 16, 2026

After widespread concessions from managers and other witnesses, it's expected the Thirlwall Inquiry will find there was a total failure of processes to ensure patient safety at every level at the Countess of Chester Hospital.

From BBC ● Sep. 12, 2026

Among the witnesses were cabinet members, some senators and congressmen, and former Presidents Hayes and Grant.

From "Ambushed!" by Gail Jarrow

A spokesperson for Colmore and Southside Business Improvement Districts said wardens had, on occasion, witnessed groups of riders while carrying out patrols and had shared information with relevant agencies where appropriate.

From BBC ● Sep. 19, 2026

In her own court filing, the staffer described how the center had been blocked off by gates and witnessed how a forklift had "run into and hit the pillars on the building several times."

From Barron's ● Sep. 17, 2026

In each of those cases, what we have witnessed is the court enforcing federal statutes.

From Slate ● Sep. 16, 2026

But what I witnessed recently at the end of the trailer for “Avengers: Doomsday” made me glad I didn’t shut my eyes to protect my precious pretension.

From Salon ● Sep. 11, 2026

“I’ll need to inform the chief about what we’ve witnessed tonight.”

From "Amari and the Night Brothers" by B.B. Alston

The ability to make a viewer truly feel as though they are witnessing something that transcends time, something that has always existed, is a very rare and special one.

From Salon ● Sep. 7, 2026

AfD state lawmaker Daniel Wald, 44, compared the unbridled happiness to the collective joy he remembers witnessing as a child on the day the Berlin Wall fell.

From Barron's ● Sep. 6, 2026

Strangers sang to each other in joyful unison, while others closed their eyes or held their hands on their chest in complete awe of witnessing a veteran artist in her element.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 21, 2026

At times it felt tense witnessing the two sparring in the courtroom, with Rogers accusing her of repeatedly lying.

From BBC ● Aug. 17, 2026

But Molly, as the daughter of a physician, understood that she was witnessing the birth of team science; a new paradigm of a research lab.

From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik

Related Words

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