witch
noun
a person, especially a woman, who professes or is supposed to practice magic or sorcery; a sorceress.
witch
American
[wich]
/ wɪtʃ /
noun
-
witches
plural
-
a person, especially a woman, who professes or is supposed to practice magic or sorcery; a sorceress.
This novel was about a meek businessman marrying a beautiful witch who uses her magic to help him succeed in business.
-
a woman who is supposed to have evil or wicked magical powers.
The movie features stereotypical witches in black robes and pointed hats.
-
a person who practices magic as a spiritual observance, especially as associated with neopaganism or Wicca.
She became a witch after an interest in tarot and astrology led her to classes at a local mystic shop.
-
an ugly or mean old woman; hag.
She was constantly in conflict with the old witch who used to own the building.
-
a person who uses a divining rod; dowser.
They hired a water witch to find the best location for the new well.
verb (used with object)
-
witches,
present (3rd person singular)
-
witched,
past participle, past
-
witching
present participle
-
to bring or cause by or as if 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)
-
witches,
present (3rd person singular)
-
witched,
past participle, past
-
witching
present participle
adjective
witch
1
British
/ 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 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
witch
2
British
/ wɪtʃ /
noun
witch-
3
British
prefix
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
witchsimple
-
witchessimple
-
have witchedperfect
-
has witchedperfect
-
am witchingprogressive
-
are witchingprogressive
-
is witchingprogressive
-
have been witchingperfect progressive
-
has been witchingperfect progressive
Past
-
witchedsimple
-
had witchedperfect
-
was witchingprogressive
-
were witchingprogressive
-
had been witchingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of witch
First recorded before 900; Middle English wicche, Old English wicce, feminine of wicca “wizard”; cf. wicked
Explanation
A witch is a person with magical powers. Most towns have a spooky old woman with a lot of cats who all the neighborhood kids suspect of being a witch. The classic picture of a witch is a woman dressed in black with a tall, pointy hat, a broom, and an ugly face — this kind of witch is a popular Halloween costume. Another kind of witch is a serious believer in the religion called Wicca. The word witch is also used to describe someone who's old and unattractive — or, conversely, a young enchantress, a girl capable of bewitching a man.
Vocabulary lists containing witch
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.
See Examples For:
The witch sisters summoned another $16 million outside of North America, for a total global estimate of $46 million.
From Barron's ● Sep. 13, 2026
Amy Madigan won best supporting actress at the Oscars for her performance as the hilarious, horrifying witch Gladys.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 9, 2026
I still find glitter ground into our kitchen tiles from the Halloween when he made his daughter a purple witch costume.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 6, 2026
He claimed he had been made a "scapegoat" after a "witch hunt" following the operation, carried out at the Royal Oldham Hospital, where he was working as a locum on 25 August 2020.
From BBC ● Aug. 4, 2026
The spell whizzed right at the witch, and the thread holding one of his silver jacket buttons came undone.
From "Witchlings" by Claribel A. Ortega
At the same time, she has made it clear that there will be no witch- hunts in the army if she is elected.
From Time Magazine Archive
But the Evangelicals tolerate a somewhat broader range of Bible interpretation and cultural outlook, and tend to be against doctrinal witch- hunts.
From Time Magazine Archive
The squat structures were nearly saturated with rich men, sportsmen, society men and their ladies, when out on the magic carpet the witch- ery which had drawn them from across the world began.
From Time Magazine Archive
There are many other instances of a like nature showing the important position assigned to girls and young women in the esoteric rites, secret societies, magic, sorcery, and witch- craft of primitive peoples.
From The Child and Childhood in Folk-Thought Studies of the Activities and Influences of the Child Among Primitive Peoples, Their Analogues and Survivals in the Civilization of To-Day by Alexander F. Chamberlain
"He mocks our mistress," and gliding from me, they waved witch- hazels, leaving me alone and wondering.
From Mardi: and A Voyage Thither, Vol. I by Herman Melville
The witches are thus visible manifestations of internal malevolent urges, and the 12 dancer witches who supplemented the large singing chorus of hags appeared throughout the evening—observing, slipping through walls, and egging the protagonists on.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 24, 2026
The film resurrects the story of sisters Sally and Gillian Owens, modern day witches who face a curse that sees any man they fall in love with doomed to an early death.
From Barron's ● Sep. 13, 2026
She recalls other witches from folk tales like Baba Yaga, frightening characters but also, she says, “women possessing an innocence that had been eroded over the years by the harshness of life.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 23, 2026
Angle and his team call their first product the Familiar—the term witches use for their supernatural animal companions.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 8, 2026
She knew how much magic and effort that much enchantment took, and she could think of a few places where their resources would be of better use, especially if witches like Pixel were going hungry.
From "Witchlings" by Claribel A. Ortega
Eichel s witched agents last month and is now represented by Creative Artists Agency’s Pat Brisson, who represents numerous high-profile NHL players.
From Seattle Times ● Sep. 18, 2021
Since then, he’s witched - or doused - for unmarked graves at other cemeteries in southeast Nebraska, and for his wife’s family in Kansas.
From Washington Times ● May 9, 2015
In the eyes of oldtime politicians Franklin Roosevelt has be witched the U. S. people with his smile, the toss of his head, the hearty frankness of his manner.
From Time Magazine Archive
Maurice Evans, apparently a bit witched himself, guest-stars as Samantha's warlock father.
From Time Magazine Archive
“Only a certified idiot would set foot in there. Place is witched, and a deathtrap to boot.”
From "Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children" by Ransom Riggs
Triple witching days, when multiple options expire, can lead to higher trading volume and market volatility.
From Barron's ● Jun. 18, 2026
As the latest quarterly witching approaches, the U.S. equity market’s relentless climb higher since the start of April has left market makers in a difficult position.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 15, 2026
Maybe this duo hasn’t monetized their show quite yet, and if that’s the case, perhaps they could choose a time other than the witching hour to record their macabre podcast?
From Salon ● Mar. 15, 2026
Yet these stories have real heft and depth and will linger in the imagination well beyond the witching time of year.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 24, 2025
Perhaps, she told herself, this was what they called the witching hour.
From "The BFG" by Roald Dahl
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.
