witch

[ wich ]

/ wɪtʃ /

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See synonyms for: witch / witched / witches / witching on Thesaurus.com

noun

a person, now especially a woman, who professes or is supposed to practice magic or sorcery; a sorceress.Compare warlock.

a woman who is supposed to have evil or wicked magical powers: witches in black robes and pointed hats.

an ugly or mean old woman; hag: the old witch who used to own this building.

a person who uses a divining rod; dowser.

verb (used with object)

to bring by or as by witchcraft (often followed by into, to, etc.): She witched him into going.

Archaic. to affect as if by witchcraft; bewitch; charm.

verb (used without object)

to prospect with a divining rod; dowse.

adjective

of, relating to, or designed as protection against witches.

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True or false? British English and American English are only different when it comes to slang words.

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Origin of witch

before 900; Middle English wicche,Old English wicce (feminine; compare wicca(masculine) wizard; see wicked)

OTHER WORDS FROM witch

witchhood, nounwitchlike, adjectiveun·der·witch, noun

Words nearby witch

wistfulness, wit, witan, witbier, witblits, witch, witch alder, witch ball, witchcraft, witch doctor, witch-elm

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use witch in a sentence

You would think I’d be sick of reading about catastrophes after a god-awful year, but I found Gabbert’s collection of essays about our darkest moments, including September 11, Chernobyl, witch hunts, and, yes, pandemics, to be strangely comforting.
Everything Our Editors Loved in December|The Editors|January 8, 2021|Outside Online
He also asks about quitting, witch trials, and whether we need a Manhattan Project for climate change.
“We Get All Our Great Stuff from Europe — Including Witch Hunting.” (Ep. 446)|Steven D. Levitt|January 7, 2021|Freakonomics
He still loves Halloween, and this Saturday his house’s decorations will be themed around the “Hocus Pocus” witches.
Put on a frightful face: This former CNN makeup artist got his start in horror|John Kelly|October 28, 2020|Washington Post
TikTok, with its 49 million daily users in the US, is impossibly diverse, a home for comedians and singers and witches and police officers and protesters.
How a TikTok house destroyed itself|Rebecca Jennings|October 1, 2020|Vox

Mulan runs away from home to take her father’s place in the army and fight a powerful witch.
Women like Mulan didn’t need to go to war in disguise|Bethany Brookshire|September 4, 2020|Science News For Students
He once experimented with dressing as “Hilda the Wicked Witch” as a way to expand his business to Halloween.
Kerry Bentivolio: The Congressman Who Believes in Santa Claus|Ben Jacobs|December 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Breitbart forced her to correct a small part of her story, but witch hunts like these will leave every victim cowering.
The Right's Rape Trolls vs. Lena Dunham|Emily Shire|December 10, 2014|DAILY BEAST
In her mind, the entire ordeal was a witch-hunt led by the local authorities.
Whip It: Secrets of a Dominatrix|Justin Jones|November 25, 2014|DAILY BEAST
She faces a jury of famous villains and a judge from the Salem witch trials.
Election Day Is Scarier Than Halloween|P. J. O’Rourke|November 1, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Likewise, pressure must be placed on Egypt to abandon its witch hunt of the Muslim Brotherhood.
To Beat ISIS, the Arab World Must Promote Political and Religious Reforms|Rula Jebreal|September 15, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Belle, my mother, and I rode home about midnight in a fine display of lightning and witch-fires.
The Works of Robert Louis Stevenson - Swanston Edition Vol. 25 (of 25)|Robert Louis Stevenson
But the Witch was more furious than ever, and as soon as I raised my axe to chop, it twisted around and cut off one of my arms.
The Tin Woodman of Oz|L. Frank Baum
The Witch did not wish me to marry the girl, so she enchanted my sword, which began hacking me to pieces.
The Tin Woodman of Oz|L. Frank Baum
It was while she was away on this errand that Dorothy's house fell on the Wicked Witch, and she turned to dust and blew away.
The Tin Woodman of Oz|L. Frank Baum
Halgernon was a barrystir—that is, he lived in Pump Cort, Temple: a wulgar naybrood, witch praps my readers don't no.
Memoirs of Mr. Charles J. Yellowplush|William Makepeace Thackeray

British Dictionary definitions for witch (1 of 3)

witch¹

/ (wɪtʃ) /

noun

historically, in mythology and fiction, a woman believed to practise magic or sorcery, esp black magic

a practitioner of a Nature-based religion founded on ancient beliefs, which honours both a male and female divine principle and includes the practice of magic, esp healing magic, and divination

informal, derogatory an ugly or wicked woman

a fascinating or enchanting woman

short for water witch

verb

(tr) to cause or change by or as if by witchcraft

a less common word for bewitch

Derived forms of witch

witchlike, adjective

Word Origin for witch

Old English wicca; related to Middle Low German wicken to conjure, Swedish vicka to move to and fro

British Dictionary definitions for witch (2 of 3)

witch²

/ (wɪtʃ) /

noun

a flatfish, Pleuronectes (or Glyptocephalus) cynoglossus, of N Atlantic coastal waters, having a narrow greyish-brown body marked with tiny black spots: family Pleuronectidae (plaice, flounders, etc)

Word Origin for witch

C19: perhaps from witch 1, alluding to the appearance of the fish

British Dictionary definitions for witch (3 of 3)

witch-

wych-

prefix

having pliant brancheswitchweed

Word Origin for witch-

Old English wice and wic; probably from Germanic wik- bend

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

witch

Origin of witch

OTHER WORDS FROM witch

Words nearby witch

Words related to witch

How to use witch in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for witch (1 of 3)

Derived forms of witch

Word Origin for witch

British Dictionary definitions for witch (2 of 3)

Word Origin for witch

British Dictionary definitions for witch (3 of 3)

wych-

Word Origin for witch-