witness
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.
to bear witness; testify; give or afford evidence.
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.
Origin of witness
1synonym study For witness
Other words for witness
Other words from witness
- wit·ness·a·ble, adjective
- wit·ness·er, noun
- pre·wit·ness, noun, verb (used with object)
- self-wit·ness, noun
- self-wit·nessed, adjective
- well-wit·nessed, adjective
Words Nearby witness
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
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 NewsNew 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 | FortuneThough 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.
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 DiegoOur goal was to be the first confirmed humans to witness a total solar eclipse from a peak above 20,000 feet.
One witness said the gunfire began after a traffic collision, which drew the attention of a nearby police officer.
The mother, Emily Kruse, was charged with obstructing justice and intimidating a witness.
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 | THE DAILY BEASTThere 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 | THE 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 | THE DAILY BEASTAt 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 SabatiniAnd 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 WillsThe 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 LeacockIn a thousand trials the cruel witness of Moses has sent innocent women to a painful death.
God and my Neighbour | Robert BlatchfordSeven 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
/ (ˈwɪtnɪs) /
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 of: Related adjective: testimonial
(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 of: this 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
Origin of witness
1Derived forms of witness
- witnessable, adjective
- witnesser, noun
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
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