witness
witness — noun
1. someone who is present and watches an event as it takes place, such as a crime o
someone who is present and watches an event as it takes place, such as a crime or accident, and can later describe what they saw
The police asked Amihan to stay since she was the only eyewitness to the robbery.
eyewitness + to + [event] for a person who saw it
Several eyewitnesses gave the police a clear description of the car that drove away.
Jabari became an eyewitness to the traffic accident while waiting for the bus.
No eyewitness has come forward to say what happened outside the bank that night.
eyewitness + come forward (phrasal verb pattern)
A kitchen fire broke out so suddenly that there were no eyewitnesses to how it started.
- eyewitness to
- eyewitness account
- reliable eyewitness
- eyewitness testimony
Grammar Patterns
witness + to + noun phrase
Usage Note
Frequently followed by the preposition 'to' to specify the event seen. Can be used alone ('an eyewitness') or with a modifier ('a reliable eyewitness').
Common Mistakes
2. someone who appears before a judge and answers questions about a legal matter, a
someone who appears before a judge and answers questions about a legal matter, after swearing to tell the truth
The witness in the courtroom took a deep breath before the lawyer asked her the first question.
Aoi was called as a witness for the defence in her neighbour's trial.
witness + for + prosecution/defence
The judge ordered all witnesses to wait outside the court until their turn came.
William gave his account calmly when he took the stand as the main witness.
stand as / take the stand as a witness
During cross-examination by the defence lawyer, the witness quietly corrected part of her earlier account.
- witness for the prosecution
- witness for the defence
- call a witness
- key witness
- expert witness
Grammar Patterns
witness + for + prosecution/defence
Usage Note
Can be specified as 'witness for the prosecution' (called by the accuser) or 'witness for the defence' (called by the accused). Expert witnesses (doctors, scientists) may give opinions rather than factual accounts.
Common Mistakes
3. someone asked to attend the signing of a legal paper and put their name on it to
someone asked to attend the signing of a legal paper and put their name on it too, confirming that they saw the original signer do so
Hari asked his neighbour to act as a witness when he signed the rental agreement.
act as a witness + when signing a document
Each side of the business deal must bring two witnesses to the signing of the final contract.
Quinn refused to be a witness to the will since she was related to the heir.
witness + to + [legal document]
The lawyer checked that all witnesses had signed their names next to the correct line.
In some countries, a marriage needs two witnesses to sign the official record.
- witness to a will
- witness to a contract
- act as a witness
- call a witness
- signatory
more formal and usually refers to a person signing an agreement on behalf of a group, not a neutral third party verifying a signature
Grammar Patterns
witness + to + document
Usage Note
Common in legal, property, and family-document contexts (wills, contracts, marriage certificates). The witness's signature confirms the identity of the main signer and the fact that they signed freely.
Common Mistakes
4. the act of seeing something with your own eyes, especially when your account of
the act of seeing something with your own eyes, especially when your account of it later becomes relevant or important
The security guard's witness of the break-in gave the police enough details to start searching.
possessive + witness + of + [event] for the act of seeing
The court relied on Roya's witness of the contract signing to confirm it was legal.
The journalist's personal witness of the ceremony was the only way she could write an accurate report.
personal witness + of (formal pattern)
Caio's witness of the whole argument helped the manager decide who was at fault.
- personal witness
- witness of
- bear witness to
- observation
more neutral; observation can be casual or scientific, while witness implies a specific event of significance
- testimony
narrower; testimony is the formal spoken or written account, not the act of seeing itself
Grammar Patterns
witness + of + noun phrase
Usage Note
This uncountable/singular sense is more formal than the verb and often appears with a possessive determiner ('his witness', 'their witness'). Distinguish from sense 1 (a person) — here the word refers to the act itself, not a person.
to show by your existence or actions that something is true or was real, even without speaking
The empty streets bore witness to the quiet fear that had taken over the town.
Olivia's collection of old family photos bore witness to a long history of travel and adventure.
To show or prove that something is true.
The old photographs bear witness to a happier time in the town.
Her diary gives witness to the struggles she faced every day.
To see or experience something happen.
Maya was a witness to the car accident on Main Street.
Have you ever been witness to a volcanic eruption?
witness — verb
1. to be present and watch an event as it takes place, particularly a crime, accide
to be present and watch an event as it takes place, particularly a crime, accident, or other significant occurrence
Amihan witnessed the car hit the bicycle from her apartment window on the fifth floor.
witness + noun phrase + -ing (event happening)
Several people in the park witnessed the fight and called the police immediately.
The security guard witnessed a man trying to open the back door of the shop.
witness + person + -ing (watching someone do something)
Nobody witnessed the exact moment when the painting was cut from its frame in the gallery.
Quinn later told police she witnessed the whole argument from across the street.
- witness a crime
- witness an accident
- witness an attack
- witness an argument
Grammar Patterns
witness + noun phrase
witness + noun phrase + -ing
Usage Note
Subject is usually a person who was physically present. The '-ing' pattern ('witnessed someone doing something') is common and often describes an action in progress. Frequently used in formal police and legal statements.
Common Mistakes
2. to attend the signing of an official paper and add your own signature, thereby c
to attend the signing of an official paper and add your own signature, thereby confirming that the person named on it truly signed it
Eli asked a colleague to witness his signature on the job contract.
witness + signature / document (legal act)
A lawyer must witness a will being signed for it to be valid.
Two senior employees witnessed the director signing the annual financial report last Thursday.
The notary public witnessed the young couple signing their marriage certificate at city hall.
witness + person + -ing + document
- witness a will
- witness a signature
- witness a contract
- witness a document
- countersign
more specific; countersigning is done to confirm or endorse a signature that is already on the document
Grammar Patterns
witness + document
Usage Note
The object can be the document ('witness a will'), the signature ('witness a signature'), or the act ('witness the signing'). The witness's own signature is usually added to the document after the main signer has signed.
Common Mistakes
3. of a place, era, or institution: to be the setting in which a notable event unfo
of a place, era, or institution: to be the setting in which a notable event unfolds
The stadium witnessed some of the most exciting matches in the history of the sport.
place + witnessed + event (metaphorical)
The early 2000s witnessed a huge growth in smartphone use across the world.
This small town has witnessed many changes since the new highway was built.
The last decade witnessed a sharp rise in the number of people working from home.
time period + witnessed + rise/change/growth
- witness change
- witness growth
- witness a rise
- witness a decline
- witness an era
- experience
broader; 'experience' can apply to people too and does not carry the same formal, historical tone
- see
less formal; 'see' with a place/time subject ('the year 2020 saw…') is more common in everyday journalism
Grammar Patterns
place/time + witnessed + event
Usage Note
Subject is always a location, time period, or institution — never a person. Common with abstract objects like 'change', 'growth', 'decline', 'rise'. More common in written English, especially news and academic texts.
Common Mistakes
4. to show or be clear evidence of a quality, feeling, fact, or change, especially
to show or be clear evidence of a quality, feeling, fact, or change, especially through visible actions or results
The rows of empty seats witnessed the audience's disappointment with the show.
result + witnesses + [abstract quality] (evidence pattern)
His tired eyes and slow walk witnessed the long hours he had spent on the project.
The heavy silence in the room witnessed the shock everyone felt after hearing the news.
The faded photographs on the wall witness a friendship that lasted more than fifty years.
object + witnesses + [abstract noun] (formal evidence pattern)
- witness a fact
- witness a change
- witness a feeling
- witness a quality
Grammar Patterns
something + witnesses + something
Usage Note
Subject is an object, situation, or result — never a person. Often interchangeable with 'attest to' or 'testify to' in formal writing. This sense is rarer in everyday speech than verb sense 1.
Word family
- eyewitnessnounB2
- witnessedadjectiveB2
- unwitnessedadjectiveC1
- witnessingnounC1
Synonym discussion
Sense: noun/1
These four words all describe someone who sees an event, but they differ in participation and purpose. An 'eyewitness' (or simply 'witness' in sense 1) is someone who sees a significant event — often a crime or accident — and can describe it with authority. An 'observer' watches deliberately and may be taking notes or studying something ('an observer at a scientific experiment'). A 'bystander' is standing nearby but is not actively watching; the word often appears in discussions of people who failed to help ('bystanders did nothing during the attack'). An 'onlooker' has gathered out of curiosity and is watching for interest rather than duty ('onlookers gathered at the scene'). In court, only a witness has legal standing — the other three roles describe presence without a formal account to give. Example: 'The police interviewed every eyewitness but sent the curious onlookers home.'
Common collocations
Nouns
- witness statement
- witness protection
- witness box
- witness stand
- witness account
Adverbs
- personally witnessed
- directly witnessed
- reportedly witnessed
Phrases
- bear witness to
- call as a witness
- take the stand as a witness
- in witness thereof
Prepositions
- witness to (noun)
- witness of (noun)
Etymology
The word 'witness' comes from Old English 'witnes', meaning 'knowledge, testimony, or evidence' — itself built on 'witan' (to know). The idea of knowing through seeing has been at the core of the word since its earliest recorded use. By the 14th century, 'witness' referred both to the testimony itself and to the person giving it. The modern verb sense emerged later, inheriting the same foundation: to witness is to know through direct, personal sight. The legal use — a person who gives evidence in court — has been documented since the 1200s.