witness

[ wit-nis ]

/ ˈwɪt nɪs /

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See synonyms for: witness / witnessed / witnesses / witnessing on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object)

to see, hear, or know by personal presence and perception: to witness an accident.

to be present at (an occurrence) as a formal witness, spectator, bystander, etc.: She witnessed our wedding.

to bear witness to; testify to; give or afford evidence of.

to attest by one's signature: He witnessed her will.

verb (used without object)

to bear witness; testify; give or afford evidence.

noun

an individual who, being present, personally sees or perceives a thing; a beholder, spectator, or eyewitness.

a person or thing that affords evidence.

a person who gives testimony, as in a court of law.

a person who signs a document attesting the genuineness of its execution.

testimony or evidence: to bear witness to her suffering.

(initial capital letter) a member of the Jehovah's Witnesses.

OTHER WORDS FOR witness

1 perceive, watch, mark, notice, note.

10 proof, confirmation, substantiation.

See synonyms for witness on Thesaurus.com

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Origin of witness

First recorded before 950; (noun) Middle English, Old English witnes originally, “knowledge, understanding”; see wit¹, -ness; (verb) Middle English, derivative of the noun

synonym study for witness

1. See observe.

OTHER WORDS FROM witness

wit·ness·a·ble, adjectivewit·ness·er, nounpre·wit·ness, noun, verb (used with object)self-witness, noun

self-witnessed, adjectivewell-witnessed, adjective

Words nearby witness

withywind, witigo, witless, witling, witloof, witness, witness-box, witness corner, witness stand, wits, Witsie

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use witness in a sentence

Since 2011, legal scholars, political scientists and mathematicians conducting gerrymandering research have served as expert witnesses in more than 250 state and federal court cases regarding redistricting.
How next-gen computer generated maps detect partisan gerrymandering|Sujata Gupta|September 7, 2020|Science News
New York Attorney General Letitia James said Monday that she’s suing to enforce seven subpoenas seeking thousands of documents and testimony from multiple witnesses.
New York’s AG is investigating whether Trump’s company falsely reported asset valuations to get loans|Lee Clifford|August 24, 2020|Fortune
Though the review happened years ago, it’s newly relevant in light of a November ballot measure that would give the board more power to access witnesses and documents.
VOSD Podcast: Cops and Cameras, Cameras and Cops|Nate John|July 24, 2020|Voice of San Diego
When the community review board – then known as the Citizens Review Board – investigated the shooting, it reviewed that security camera footage, as well as witness statements, police reports, photos from the scene, SDPD policies and other materials.
Police Review Board Was Denied Docs, Interviews in 2015 Shooting Review|Sara Libby|July 22, 2020|Voice of San Diego

Our goal was to be the first confirmed humans to witness a total solar eclipse from a peak above 20,000 feet.
My Crazy Bid to See a Solar Eclipse at 20,000 Feet|Mark Jenkins|July 8, 2020|Outside Online
One witness said the gunfire began after a traffic collision, which drew the attention of a nearby police officer.
France Mourns—and Hunts|Nico Hines, Christopher Dickey|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
The mother, Emily Kruse, was charged with obstructing justice and intimidating a witness.
Judge: Rehoming Kids Is Trafficking|Tina Traster|December 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Jay, the main witness for the state, is leading a relatively normal life, though that probably has all changed with Serial.
The Scoop on ‘Serial’: Making Sense of The Nisha Call, Asia's Letters, and Our Obsession|Emily Shire|December 11, 2014|DAILY BEAST
There is no perfect juror, just as there is no such thing as a perfect witness.
The Post-Brown and Garner Question: Who ‘Deserves’ to Die?|Goldie Taylor|December 9, 2014|DAILY BEAST
“The senior people were too shocked to speak,” said a witness.
Facebook Prince Purges The New Republic: Inside the Destruction of a 100-Year-Old Magazine|Lloyd Grove|December 5, 2014|DAILY BEAST
At his desk sat his secretary, who had been a witness of the interview, lost in wonder almost as great as the Seneschal's own.
St. Martin's Summer|Rafael Sabatini
And now everybody turned out with a feeling of intense relief to witness the rejoicings on the village green.
The Pit Town Coronet, Volume I (of 3)|Charles James Wills
The endless miles of railways, the vast apparatus of the factories, the soaring structures of the cities bear easy witness to it.
The Unsolved Riddle of Social Justice|Stephen Leacock
In a thousand trials the cruel witness of Moses has sent innocent women to a painful death.
God and my Neighbour|Robert Blatchford
Seven years from this present time will witness the Centenary of the railway system.
Fifty Years of Railway Life in England, Scotland and Ireland|Joseph Tatlow

British Dictionary definitions for witness

witness

/ (ˈwɪtnɪs) /

noun

a person who has seen or can give first-hand evidence of some event

a person or thing giving or serving as evidence

a person who testifies, esp in a court of law, to events or facts within his own knowledge

a person who attests to the genuineness of a document, signature, etc, by adding his own signature

bear witness

to give written or oral testimony
to be evidence or proof ofRelated adjective: testimonial

verb

(tr) to see, be present at, or know at first hand

to give or serve as evidence (of)

(tr) to be the scene or setting ofthis field has witnessed a battle

(intr) to testify, esp in a court of law, to events within a person's own knowledge

(tr) to attest to the genuineness of (a document, signature, etc) by adding one's own signature

Derived forms of witness

witnessable, adjectivewitnesser, noun

Word Origin for witness

Old English witnes (meaning both testimony and witness), from witan to know, wit ² + -ness; related to Old Norse vitni

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

witness

OTHER WORDS FOR witness

Origin of witness

synonym study for witness

OTHER WORDS FROM witness

Words nearby witness

Words related to witness

How to use witness in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for witness

Derived forms of witness

Word Origin for witness