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

The witness list includes several of Shakur’s family members and Nevada Gov. Joe Lombardo, who was formerly an officer of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 17, 2026

Two women witness the strange murder of a neighbor and begin to believe that something could be lurking in the mist that’s enveloped the Earth.

From Salon ● Aug. 17, 2026

Authorities charged her onetime lover, billionaire Stephen Cloobeck, with tampering with a witness in the case.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 13, 2026

She said the past year had been the "worst of our lives" and concluded her witness statement by telling him: "Know this, you lose."

From BBC ● Aug. 12, 2026

One witness after another swore it was Booth, John Wilkes Booth, who had shot the president.

From "Chasing Lincoln's Killer" by James L. Swanson

In a statement, the MoD said the review was commissioned "to provide honest challenge, identify areas of improvement and to help ensure the highest standards for victims and witnesses".

From BBC ● Aug. 12, 2026

Earlier that day, however, witnesses testified that Powers had argued with a mutual acquaintance of Byrd and Roberts named Bud.

From Slate ● Aug. 11, 2026

“DNA evidence, witnesses recanting their prior statements and polygraph testing all supported the ‘actual innocence’ claims of Jarvis Ballard,” district attorney Perry Nicosia wrote.

From Salon ● Aug. 10, 2026

At the Glenn-Mills trial in Los Angeles, Meta attorneys repeatedly hammered witnesses about the lack of a listing — at times appearing to annoy jurors and test the patience of the court.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 8, 2026

It’s two minutes long and features various clips from police dash cams and cell phone footage from witnesses.

From "Split the Sky" by Marie Arnold

Gardaí are appealing for any persons who may have witnessed this collision to come forward.

From BBC ● Aug. 16, 2026

These elder statesmen have witnessed leaders of the world’s tech, finance and real estate businesses flock to South Florida, often attracted by lower taxes.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 15, 2026

He appeared at the event dressed in his trademark olive-green military uniform, AFP reporters witnessed, amid tight security.

From Barron's ● Aug. 13, 2026

Astronomers describe the event Perseverance witnessed as an occultation.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 13, 2026

He had told the story in such detail that Bailey assumed he had witnessed it firsthand.

From "The Night Circus" by Erin Morgenstern

At times it felt tense witnessing the two sparring in the courtroom, with Rogers accusing her of repeatedly lying.

From BBC ● Aug. 17, 2026

Combined with other observations, including its exceptionally high temperature, the measurements led the researchers to conclude that they were witnessing a star being ripped apart and swallowed by a black hole.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 16, 2026

Mangione, wearing tan jail garb, told the judge that after enduring severe pain, and witnessing others with similar experiences, he learned of the company’s investor conference.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026

By far the most common favorite memory among viewers was witnessing Jackie protect her young from fierce winter storms.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 11, 2026

Bateson knew that he was witnessing, or, rather, midwifing, the birth of a profound revolution in biology.

From "The Gene" by Siddhartha Mukherjee

Related Words

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