witness-box
noun
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witness-box
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witness box
witness boxnounthe place in a court of law in which witnesses stand to give evidence
witness-box
American
[wit-nis-boks]
/ ˈwɪt nɪsˌbɒks /
noun
Chiefly British.
witness box
British
noun
Etymology
Origin of witness-box
First recorded in 1800–10
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Every character is part of a carefully arranged witness-box cast, and the arrangement is too deliberate ly designed to give both sides of the story.
From Time Magazine Archive
A bit late now, I think, but only because he’s down there and I’m up here, in the safety of the witness-box.
From "I Am the Messenger" by Markus Zusak
His handling of his client in the witness-box had been masterly.
From "And Then There Were None" by Agatha Christie
She had found her public appearances in the witness-box very trying, and when it was all over she had something that was very nearly a breakdown.
From Mortal Coils by Aldous Huxley
It was then with a sigh of deep relief that she left the witness-box, and took up her station at the point to which the policeman made way for her.
From The Curse of Carne's Hold A Tale of Adventure by G. A. (George Alfred) Henty
In recent years, Harry has sued three different UK newspapers, becoming the first senior royal in over a century to enter the witness box as he won settlements from two.
From Barron's ● Aug. 23, 2026
Prince Harry flew in to give evidence in person, spending two hours in the witness box.
From BBC ● Mar. 31, 2026
Prince Harry was visibly emotional in the witness box as he said the publisher made the life of his wife, the Duchess of Sussex, "an absolute misery".
From BBC ● Jan. 22, 2026
Actor Liz Hurley on Thursday broke down in tears in the witness box of London's High Court as she accused a tabloid publisher of "monstrous" conduct including planting secret microphones on her home windows.
From Barron's ● Jan. 22, 2026
“Something’s happening,” Natalie hissed from the other side of the witness box.
From "The Strangers" by Margaret Peterson Haddix
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
