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

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

Zagre and her husband, Ousmane Nikiema, visited a witch doctor after giving birth to both sets of twins.

From Seattle Times • Dec. 26, 2021

If big Daddy-O was going to blow his stack over a witch doctor, here’s one cat that wasn’t going to miss it.

From "The Poisonwood Bible" by Barbara Kingsolver