Witness Definition & Meaning

American

British

Usage

Related Words

Other Word Forms

Etymology

Examples

Related Words

Synonyms witness American [wit-nis] / ˈwɪt nɪs /

verb (used with object)

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.

verb (used without object)

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

noun

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

"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

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

"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

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.

Related Words

See observe.

Other Word Forms

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

Etymology

Origin of witness

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

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.

A woman witnessed the girls getting in his car and called the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office.

From Los Angeles Times

A former Army helicopter pilot, Kevin Randle, spent much of his life tracking down witnesses who had spotted crash debris and even what looked like alien bodies being hauled away from the remote area.

From The Wall Street Journal

Kumar said he would forever be connected to the victims' families, who had long called for a judge-led statutory inquiry, meaning witnesses would be compelled to give evidence.

From BBC

Two sources who attended the party described witnessing a loud verbal exchange between Nick Reiner and his parents.

From Los Angeles Times

The King was given his own chair and silk cushion to witness the British-Nigerian designer's Notting Hill inspired runway, which was set against a backdrop of the area of London she grew up in.

From BBC

Related Words

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

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.