witness

Pronunciation

• IPA ^(key): /ˈwɪtnəs/ or /ˈwɪtnɪs/

• Audio (US)

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• Audio (AU)

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• Hyphenation: wit‧ness

Noun

Singular witness

Plural witnesses

1. (countable) A witness is somebody who saw something, especially a crime.

   The journalist spent three years interviewing survivors and witnesses.

   The hospital has born witness to countless deaths and births.

   Police took signed statements from the witnesses.

   The state has no physical evidence and no witnesses.

2. (countable) (law) A witness is somebody who tells a court what they know about a situation, especially a crime.

   The witness testified that Simpson was ill at the time.

   Dr. Yazdi, an expert witness, explained how somebody could have used the computer without the owner knowing.

   She was the key witness for the defense at the trial.

Verb

Plain form witness

Third-person singular witnesses

Past tense witnessed

Past participle witnessed

Present participle witnessing

1. (transitive) If you witness something, you see it.

   She spoke of the terrible events she witnesses during the war.

   She witnessed some terrible events during the war.

2. (transitive) If something witnesses something, it experiences it.

Related words

• unwitnessed