witness

[ wit-nis ]

/ ˈwɪt nɪs /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR witness 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.

Nearby words

witigo, witless, witlessly, witling, witloof, witness, witness box, witness corner, witness stand, witness-box, wits

Origin of witness

before 950; (noun) Middle English, Old English witnes orig., knowledge, understanding; see wit¹, -ness; (v.) Middle English, derivative of the noun

SYNONYMS FOR witness

1 perceive, watch, mark, notice, note. See observe.

10 proof, confirmation, substantiation.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR witness ON THESAURUS.COM

Related forms

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

self-wit·nessed, adjectivewell-wit·nessed, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for witnessed

They witnessed and experienced the same types of abusive events, Fenner claims.
Beaten By His Church for Being Gay|Justin Jones|December 16, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Chernon Bah, co-founder of A World at School, was alarmed by what she witnessed recently in Sierra Leone.
The Radio Battle to Educate Ebola’s Kids|Abby Haglage|December 11, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Old age is the saddest and rarest way to go; I witnessed it only once.
A Million Ways to Die in Prison|Daniel Genis|December 8, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Instead, it would return European civilization back to a period of darkness not witnessed since the Middle Ages.
How WWI Produced the Holocaust|J.P. O’Malley|November 21, 2014|DAILY BEAST

According to those who witnessed the transfusion, the effects of the antibodies were seemingly evident within hours.
Blood Is Ebola’s Weapon and Weakness|Abby Haglage|October 26, 2014|DAILY BEAST
His intimate friend, who came with him, had the good fortune to be close to Bertha, and had witnessed all that had occurred.
Materialized Apparitions|Edward Augustus Brackett
This was Madame Malibran, under the effect of my father's performance of the Gamester, which she had just witnessed.
Records of a Girlhood|Frances Ann Kemble
His first thought was to go at once and inform St. John of what he had witnessed.
Lucretia, Complete|Edward Bulwer-Lytton
It was usual for such companies not to break up until they had witnessed the election of the mayor.
Wilson's Tales of the Borders and of Scotland|Various
The scene and its concurrences at Oxford have been witnessed by too many, and too often described, for me to attempt them.
From Sail to Steam, Recollections of Naval Life|Captain A. T. Mahan

British Dictionary definitions for witnessed

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 Formswitnessable, 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

Word Origin and History for witnessed (1 of 2)

witness

Old English witnes "attestation of fact, event, etc., from personal knowledge;" also "one who so testifies;" originally "knowledge, wit," formed from wit (n.) + -ness. Christian use (late 14c.) is as a literal translation of Greek martys (see martyr). Witness stand is recorded from 1853.

Word Origin and History for witnessed (1 of 2)

witness

c.1300, from witness (n.). Related: Witnessed; witnessing.

witness

verb (used with object)

verb (used without object)

noun

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Origin of witness

Examples from the Web for witnessed

British Dictionary definitions for witnessed

witness

noun

verb

Word Origin for witness

Word Origin and History for witnessed (1 of 2)

witness

Word Origin and History for witnessed (1 of 2)

witness