witch doctor
Americannoun
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witch doctors
plural
noun
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Also called: shaman. medicine man. a man in certain societies, esp preliterate ones, who appears to possess magical powers, used esp to cure sickness but also to harm people
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a person who seeks out or hunts witches in some African tribal cultures
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of witch doctor
First recorded in 1710–20
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.
"Kane curse lifted", the paper says, referring to England captain Harry Kane, who came under a "curse" from a "witch doctor".
From BBC ● Jun. 24, 2026
In Namibia, “for a witch doctor to make a ruling on whether or not you are a witch, you have to pay him a lot of money,” Holtzhausen says.
From Scientific American ● May 31, 2023
Paul Pogba reportedly told investigators the blackmailers aimed to discredit him by claiming he asked a witch doctor to cast a spell on French superstar Mbappé.
From Seattle Times ● Sep. 5, 2022
Llegó el curanderooo — Tony was playing his summer mix, “Sacude,” and I had arrived just in time for my favorite part, when Tego Calderón announces himself as the healer, the witch doctor.
From New York Times ● Sep. 15, 2021
The witch doctor searched my father’s face with his bleary eyes; he picked up the bones and shells, slowly shook them in his gnarled, jet-black hands and threw them on the mat.
From "Kaffir Boy: An Autobiography" by Mark Mathabane
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
