witnessnoun [ C ]
uk/ˈwɪt.nəs/us/ˈwɪt.nəs/witness noun [ C ] (SEE)
B2 a person who sees an event happening, especially a crime or an accident:
to see something happen:
someone who is asked to be present at a particular event and sign their name in order to prove that things have been done correctly:
More examples
- If you haven't got a witness, you haven't got a leg to stand on.
- One by one the witnesses narrated the sequence of events which led up to the disaster.
- The document was signed in the presence of two witnesses.
- New witnesses have cast doubt on some of the evidence that sent the 19 year old to the gallows.
- She bore witness to his patience and diligence.
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Using the eyes
- before your very eyes idiom
- beheld
- bore
- breathe
- come to sb's attention/notice idiom
- dart
- eye
- feast
- gawk
- get a load of that! idiom
- get him, her, you, etc.! idiom
- keep tabs on sth/sb idiom
- look-see
- observational
- out of/from the corner of your eye idiom
- passer-by
- rest
- sneak
- squint
- visual
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witness noun [ C ] (LAW)
a person in a law court who says what they know about a legal case or a particular person:
a person who is allowed to give their opinion in a law court because of their knowledge or practical experience of a particular subject:
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
People appearing in court
- defence
- defendant
- eyewitness
- Jane Doe
- John Doe
- respondent
- suspect
- the accused
- undertrial
- v
- versus
Idiom(s)
witnessverb [ T ]
uk/ˈwɪt.nəs/us/ˈwɪt.nəs/witness verb [ T ] (BE PRESENT)
B2 to see something happen, especially an accident or crime:
to be present at an event and to sign your name as proof that it happened or that it was done correctly:
More examples
- I've never witnessed such extremes of wealth and poverty.
- Recent years have witnessed a growth in religious fundamentalism.
- What we are witnessing is the country's slow slide into anarchy.
- His face registered extreme disapproval of what he had witnessed.
- It was a terrible thing to witness.
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Using the eyes
- before your very eyes idiom
- beheld
- bore
- breathe
- come to sb's attention/notice idiom
- dart
- eye
- feast
- gawk
- get a load of that! idiom
- get him, her, you, etc.! idiom
- keep tabs on sth/sb idiom
- look-see
- observational
- out of/from the corner of your eye idiom
- passer-by
- rest
- sneak
- squint
- visual
See more results »
You can also find related words, phrases, and synonyms in the topics:
witness verb [ T ] (HAPPEN)
formal When a place or period witnesses a particular event, the event happens in that place or during that period:
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Experiencing and suffering
- afflict
- affliction
- almost/nearly die of sth idiom
- be a martyr to sth idiom
- be a victim of your own success idiom
- be devoured by sth idiom
- get the short end of the stick idiom
- get/have your fingers burned idiom
- go through sth
- grip
- hands-on
- hold
- ride
- sample
- seat
- sense
- undergo
- underwent
- ups and downs
- writhe
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witness verb [ T ] (SHOW)
to show or give proof of something:
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Showing and demonstrating
- act
- act sth out
- attest
- barometer
- bespeak
- bring
- bring sth forward
- flicker
- manifestation
- produce
- prove
- put up sth
- radiate
- revealing
- says something about sb/sth idiom
- signify
- strike
- suggest
- token
- wear
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You can also find related words, phrases, and synonyms in the topics: