witness
Americanverb (used with object)
-
witnesses,
present (3rd person singular)
-
witnessed,
past participle, past
-
witnessing
present participle
-
to see, hear, or know by personal presence and perception.
to witness an accident.
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to be present at (an occurrence) as a formal witness, spectator, bystander, etc..
She witnessed our wedding.
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to bear witness to; testify to; give or afford evidence of.
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to attest by one's signature.
He witnessed her will.
verb (used without object)
-
witnesses,
present (3rd person singular)
-
witnessed,
past participle, past
-
witnessing
present participle
noun
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witnesses
plural
-
an individual who, being present, personally sees or perceives a thing; a beholder, spectator, or eyewitness.
-
a person or thing that affords evidence.
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a person who gives testimony, as in a court of law.
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a person who signs a document attesting the genuineness of its execution.
-
testimony or evidence.
to bear witness to her suffering.
- Synonyms:
- substantiation, confirmation, proof
-
(initial capital letter) a member of the Jehovah's Witnesses.
noun
-
a person who has seen or can give first-hand evidence of some event
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a person or thing giving or serving as evidence
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a person who testifies, esp in a court of law, to events or facts within his own knowledge
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a person who attests to the genuineness of a document, signature, etc, by adding his own signature
-
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to give written or oral testimony
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to be evidence or proof of
-
verb
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(tr) to see, be present at, or know at first hand
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to give or serve as evidence (of)
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(tr) to be the scene or setting of
this field has witnessed a battle
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(intr) to testify, esp in a court of law, to events within a person's own knowledge
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(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
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prewitnessnoun
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self-witnessnoun
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witnessernoun
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self-witnessedadjective
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well-witnessedadjective
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witnessableadjective
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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witnesssimple
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witnessessimple
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have witnessedperfect
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has witnessedperfect
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am witnessingprogressive
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are witnessingprogressive
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is witnessingprogressive
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have been witnessingperfect progressive
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has been witnessingperfect progressive
Past
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witnessedsimple
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had witnessedperfect
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was witnessingprogressive
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were witnessingprogressive
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had been witnessingperfect progressive
Future
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.
Vocabulary lists containing witness
"We Grow Accustomed to the Dark" by Emily Dickinson
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"Speaking Up"
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The Marvels
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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:
It was set up in The Hague to prevent witness intimidation and was staffed largely by judges and prosecutors from the U.S. and Western Europe.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 16, 2026
An expert witness, a psychiatrist, testified that the boy had schizophrenia, and had suffered from mental illness and experienced delusions since he was nine years old.
From BBC ● Sep. 14, 2026
Randy Johnson, a developer called as an expert witness in the second lawsuit, advised Carter that many historic buildings on campus are not worth saving.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 11, 2026
Her mother Lea Garofalo, who was killed in 2009, became a powerful symbol of resistance to the mafia after turning witness for the state against the 'Ndrangheta clan in southern Italy.
From BBC ● Sep. 11, 2026
“But to clarify—you did not witness her death,” I repeat.
From "The Bletchley Riddle" by Ruta Sepetys and Steve Sheinkin
Rush hour traffic was moving slowly when Rios’s Expedition entered one of the busiest junctions in the San Fernando Valley, but the SUV did not appear to brake before it T-boned the bus, witnesses said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 17, 2026
The trial relied on three co-operating witnesses, Kavon "OTF Vonnie" Grant, Keith "Flacka" Jones and Kacey "OTF Jam" Hester, who reached plea deals and testified against Banks, Wilson and Lindsey.
From BBC ● Sep. 12, 2026
Officers found Baby in the car that witnesses had described in a Walgreens parking lot shortly after noon.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 11, 2026
Judge Burgess said the attack caused "serious fear and disruption" to other road users and holidaymakers, adding how witnesses thought it was a "terrorist incident" or "car-jacking".
From BBC ● Sep. 11, 2026
A few congressmen and witnesses tried to mitigate the scapegoating of the Osage.
From "Killers of the Flower Moon" by David Grann
A spokesperson for Colmore and Southside Business Improvement Districts said wardens had, on occasion, witnessed groups of riders while carrying out patrols and had shared information with relevant agencies where appropriate.
From BBC ● Sep. 19, 2026
He has repeatedly urged the international community to extend the mandate of the peacekeepers, who have witnessed war after war in south Lebanon since the mission was first deployed.
From Barron's ● Sep. 16, 2026
But what I witnessed recently at the end of the trailer for “Avengers: Doomsday” made me glad I didn’t shut my eyes to protect my precious pretension.
From Salon ● Sep. 11, 2026
Some witnessed the collapse of the towers, while others searched through piles of debris for human remains.
From Slate ● Sep. 11, 2026
But it had happened to him, these people had witnessed it, and they still wanted to risk their own safety, all for some idea.
From "Anger Is a Gift" by Mark Oshiro
Although some elements of the person are still detectable, the sense of loss is ongoing, like witnessing a living death.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 18, 2026
The ability to make a viewer truly feel as though they are witnessing something that transcends time, something that has always existed, is a very rare and special one.
From Salon ● Sep. 7, 2026
AfD state lawmaker Daniel Wald, 44, compared the unbridled happiness to the collective joy he remembers witnessing as a child on the day the Berlin Wall fell.
From Barron's ● Sep. 6, 2026
But as “Dreams in Nightmares” wends its way to a close, it’s also easy to believe you’re witnessing a percolating virtuosity that’s all Ford’s own.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 28, 2026
And Danny’s father was forever silent, withdrawn, his dark eyes turned inward, brooding, as if witnessing a sea of suffering he alone could see.
From "The Chosen" by Chaim Potok
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.
