What does "witness" mean?
Attestation of a fact or event; testimony.
Witness
/ˈwɪtnəs/ noun, verb
noun, verb ·Common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: Attestation of a fact or event; testimony.
- Grammar: witness is listed as noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: spectator, accessory, acknowledge, admission.
- Useful contrasts: avoid, conceal, deny.
- Usage evidence: I happened to witness the bullying in the corridor.
How to use "witness"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "witness" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "witness" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "witness" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "witness" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "witness" is acting as noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "spectator" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "witness", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 Attestation of a fact or event; testimony. uncountable
"She can bear witness, since she was there at the time."
- 2 A Jehovah's Witness.
- 3 testimony by word or deed to your religious faith wordnet
- 4 One who sees or has personal knowledge of something. countable
"As a witness to the event, I can confirm that he really said that."
- 5 a close observer; someone who looks at something (such as an exhibition of some kind) wordnet
Show 7 more definitions
- 6 Someone called to give evidence in a court. countable
"The witness for the prosecution did not seem very credible."
- 7 someone who sees an event and reports what happened wordnet
- 8 One who is called upon to witness an event or action, such as a wedding or the signing of a document. countable
"The bridesmaid and best man at a wedding typically serve as the witnesses."
- 9 (law) a person who attests to the genuineness of a document or signature by adding their own signature wordnet
- 10 Something that serves as evidence; a sign or token. countable
"Laban said to Jacob, […] This heap be witness, and this pillar be witness."
- 11 (law) a person who testifies under oath in a court of law wordnet
- 12 A particular version of a text (seen as providing testimony of archetype or other earlier version) countable, uncountable
"Yet there are extremely few, if any, cases of preserved autographs, and textual witnesses (manuscripts) rather distant in time from the creation of the texts are the norm."
Verb
- 1 To furnish proof of, to show. transitive
"This certificate witnesses his presence on that day."
- 2 be a witness to wordnet
- 3 To take as evidence. transitive
"Depression often goes undetected until it is too late . Witness the recent White House suicide."
- 4 perceive or be contemporaneous with wordnet
- 5 To see or gain knowledge of through experience. transitive
"He witnessed the accident."
Show 2 more definitions
- 6 To present personal religious testimony; to preach at (someone) or on behalf of. intransitive
"Instead, Niebuhr's God was the God witnessed to in the Hebrew Scriptures and the New Testament, the Bible of the Christian world."
- 7 To see the execution of (a legal instrument), and subscribe it for the purpose of establishing its authenticity.
"to witness a bond or a deed"
Example
"I happened to witness the bullying in the corridor."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "witness"?
Common synonyms include: spectator, accessory, acknowledge, admission, adviser, affiant.
How do you use "witness" in a sentence?
I happened to witness the bullying in the corridor.
How do you pronounce "witness"?
Pronounced /ˈwɪtnəs/.
Etymology
From Middle English witnesse, from Old English ġewitnes, equivalent to wit + -ness. Cognate with Middle Dutch wetenisse (“witness, testimony”), Old High German gewiznessi (“testimony”), Icelandic vitni (“witness”).