witness

American  

[wit-nis] / ˈwɪt nɪs /

verb (used with object)

• witnesses,
  present (3rd person singular)
• witnessed,
  past participle,  past
• witnessing
  present participle

1. 

   to see, hear, or know by personal presence and perception.

   to witness an accident.

   Synonyms:

   note, notice, mark, watch, perceive

2. to be present at (an occurrence) as a formal witness, spectator, bystander, etc..

   She witnessed our wedding.

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

4. to attest by one's signature.

   He witnessed her will.

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verb (used without object)

• witnesses,
  present (3rd person singular)
• witnessed,
  past participle,  past
• witnessing
  present participle

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

noun

• witnesses
  plural

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

2. a person or thing that affords evidence.

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

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

5. testimony or evidence.

   to bear witness to her suffering.

   Synonyms:

   substantiation, confirmation, proof

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

witness British  

/ ˈwɪtnɪs /

noun

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

2. a person or thing giving or serving as evidence

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

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

5. 1. to give written or oral testimony

   2. to be evidence or proof of

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verb

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

2. to give or serve as evidence (of)

3. (tr) to be the scene or setting of

   this field has witnessed a battle

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

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

Usage

What does witness mean? A witness is someone who was present at or perceives an incident, event, or occurrence, as in Jamal was a witness to the fact that I completed all my homework. People who witness something typically do so through seeing, although they can also witness a smell or sound. In order to witness an event, one must simply be present at the time the event happened, even if the witness was not directly involved. To witness something is to see, hear, sense, or know something, as in I witnessed our dog running out the door, but I didn’t see where she went. To witness is also to testify or give evidence, especially in a court of law. Example: The key witness in the theft case was a local shop owner.

Synonym Usage

See observe.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• prewitness
  noun
• self-witness
  noun
• witnesser
  noun
• self-witnessed
  adjective
• well-witnessed
  adjective
• witnessable
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• witnesses
  plural

Participles

• witnessing
  present
• witnessed
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• witness
  simple
• witnesses
  simple
• have witnessed
  perfect
• has witnessed
  perfect
• am witnessing
  progressive
• are witnessing
  progressive
• is witnessing
  progressive
• have been witnessing
  perfect progressive
• has been witnessing
  perfect progressive

Past

• witnessed
  simple
• had witnessed
  perfect
• was witnessing
  progressive
• were witnessing
  progressive
• had been witnessing
  perfect progressive

Future

• will witness
  simple
• will have witnessed
  perfect
• will be witnessing
  progressive
• will have been witnessing
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of witness

First recorded before 950; (noun) Middle English, Old English witnes originally, “knowledge, understanding”; see wit ¹, -ness; (verb) Middle English, derivative of the noun

Explanation

If you're walking down the street and see one car run a red light and plow into another, you are a witness to the accident. You saw it and can tell someone else how the accident happened. The first part of a witness's role is observation. You witness the accident. The second part is telling someone about it — bearing witness. In court, you can be a witness for the defense or prosecution. You can also witness a legal document, like a will, or a wedding conducted by the justice of the peace. Religious people use this word a lot too: being a witness in that sense is being a true believer who tries to convert others.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

witness witnesses witnessed witnessing

Still, it’s really cool to witness — for the audience and actors.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 6, 2026

"It's important for me to bear witness," he said.

From Barron's ● Oct. 5, 2026

The New York Times, using campus police documents and witness statements, laid out the timeline showing that she initially reacted with confusion and shame.

From Salon ● Oct. 2, 2026

So it was quite something to witness velvet-clad Catalan pipers, sashaying down Barcelona's main boulevards, their medieval tunes intermingling with lilting music that accompanied flocks of brightly dressed Chinese performers.

From BBC ● Oct. 1, 2026

As one witness described it, “the heavens redden’d with the blaze!”

From "In the Shadow of Liberty" by Kenneth C. Davis

She said her office would interview witnesses and pursue prosecutions if warranted.

From BBC ● Oct. 2, 2026

But witnesses said that Pike remained awake longer than expected and was later heard "loudly snoring" before an ambulance rushed her to a nearby hospital.

From Barron's ● Oct. 2, 2026

Investigators should pursue witnesses, physical and digital evidence, and the accounts and actions of alleged perpetrators rather than repeatedly requiring a survivor to recount a traumatic event unnecessarily.

From Slate ● Oct. 2, 2026

The Fever said in a statement that arena security spoke with the man and witnesses and “determined there was no violation of the Fan Code of Conduct.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 30, 2026

There was no physical evidence or witnesses to prove that Hale had carried out or ordered any of the killings.

From "Killers of the Flower Moon" by David Grann

Nearly four in five have witnessed patients abandon treatment because of problems with the process.

From Salon ● Oct. 8, 2026

She adds that she’s never witnessed an accident.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 6, 2026

But when people ask him about what he has witnessed, he tells them "it's not the only thing I did or do or have done".

From BBC ● Oct. 2, 2026

"We have witnessed him giving a lot of promises and they are yet to be fulfilled," said Mahmoud, the artist.

From Barron's ● Oct. 1, 2026

The tune for this ditty was suspiciously like a tune from Pirates on Holiday, the nautical operetta whose first act Penelope and the children had witnessed while visiting London some months earlier.

From "The Interrupted Tale" by Maryrose Wood

But the 35-year-old actor recalls witnessing the stress and insecurities experienced by friends over who had the most followers, or who followed who on social media.

From Barron's ● Oct. 7, 2026

I am sad to say after decades supporting USC, I rooted for Oregon after witnessing that late hit Saturday.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 3, 2026

There's a knowing smile there, an indication of the kind of class he is now witnessing.

From BBC ● Sep. 23, 2026

“What we are witnessing is a great capture of our children. A capture of their attention, their focus, their minds,” she said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 16, 2026

She was in the crowd that was witnessing the sad spectacle of the man who had been turned into a snake for having disobeyed his parents.

From "One Hundred Years of Solitude" by Gabriel Garcia Marquez

Related Words

• attend
• mark
• note
• notice
• see
• watch