witch doctor
Americannoun
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
What I remember about “Grey’s” — I was that girl that people would say, “Can you play like a witch doctor on Monday?” or “Can you have this weird disease?”
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 21, 2025
A visit to a witch doctor only makes things worse for him and, most tragically, his dog.
From New York Times ● Apr. 26, 2024
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
“Please get me a witch doctor to cure me, Mama,” the words spilled out of my mouth unpremeditatedly.
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.
