witch doctor

American  

noun

1. a person in some societies who attempts to cure sickness and to exorcise evil spirits by the use of magic.

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witch doctor British  

noun

1. 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

2. a person who seeks out or hunts witches in some African tribal cultures

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Etymology

Origin of witch doctor

First recorded in 1710–20

Example Sentences

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

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 Mbappé.

From Seattle Times • Sep. 9, 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

He ordered his men to prepare food and water for a journey and then he set off with his daughter in the direction indicated by the witch doctor.

From "The Girl Who Married a Lion: and Other Tales from Africa" by Alexander Mccall Smith