/ ˈwɪtnəs; NAmE / noun , verb
■ noun
PERSON WHO SEES STH
1.
(also eye·wit·ness ) [ C ] a person who sees sth happen and is able to describe it to other people :
Police have appealed for witnesses to the accident.
a witness to the killing
IN COURT
2.
[ C ] a person who gives evidence in court :
a defence / prosecution witness
to appear as (a) witness for the defence / prosecution
OF SIGNATURE
3.
[ C ] a person who is present when an official document is signed and who also signs it to prove that they saw this happen :
He was one of the witnesses at our wedding.
OF RELIGIOUS BELIEFS
4.
[ U ] evidence of a person's strong religious beliefs, that they show by what they say and do in public
—see also Jehovah's Witness
•
IDIOMS
- be (a) witness to sth
- bear / give witness (to sth)
■ verb
SEE STH
1.
[ vn ] to see sth happen (typically a crime or an accident) :
She was shocked by the violent scenes she had witnessed.
Police have appealed for anyone who witnessed the incident to contact them.
We are now witnessing an unprecedented increase in violent crime.
➡ note at notice
OF TIME / PLACE
2.
[ vn ] to be the place, period, organization, etc. in which particular events take place :
Recent years have witnessed a growing social mobility.
The retail trade is witnessing a sharp fall in sales.
SIGNATURE
3.
[ vn ] to be present when an official document is signed and sign it yourself to prove that you saw this happen :
to witness a signature
BE SIGN / PROOF
4.
witness (to sth) [ usually passive ] to be a sign or proof of sth :
[ vn ]
There has been increasing interest in her life and work, as witnessed by the publication of two new biographies.
[ v ]
The huge attendance figures for the exhibition witness to a healthy interest in modern art.
5.
[ vn ] ( formal ) used when giving an example that proves sth you have just said :
Authentic Italian cooking is very healthy—witness the low incidence of heart disease in Italy.
TO RELIGIOUS BELIEFS
6.
[ v ] witness (to sth) ( especially NAmE ) to speak to people about your strong religious beliefs
SYN testify
••
SYNONYMS
witness
audience ♦ viewer ♦ observer ♦ spectator ♦ onlooker ♦ passer-by ♦ bystander ♦ eyewitness
These are all words for a person who sees sth happen.
witness
a person who sees sth happen and is able to describe it to other people; a person who gives evidence in a court of law:
Police have appealed for witnesses to the accident.
audience
a group of people who have gathered to watch or listen to sth such as a play or concert; the number of people who watch or listen to the same thing on television, the radio or in the cinema.
viewer
a person watching television; a person who looks at sth:
The programme attracted millions of viewers.
•
Some of her art is intended to shock the viewer.
observer
a person who sees sth happen:
According to observers, the plane exploded shortly after take-off.
spectator
a person who is watching an event, especially a sports event:
The stadium holds 75 000.
onlooker
a person who watches sth that is happening but is not involved in it:
A crowd of onlookers gathered at the scene of the crash.
passer-by
a person who is going past sb/sth by chance, especially when sth unexpected happens:
Police asked passers-by if they had witnessed the accident.
bystander
a person who is near and can see what is happening when sth such as an accident or fight takes place:
Three innocent bystanders were killed in the crossfire.
eyewitness
a person who has seen a crime or accident and can describe it afterwards.
PATTERNS AND COLLOCATIONS :
before / in front of a(n) witness / audience / spectator / onlooker / passer-by / bystander / eyewitness
a television/TV audience / viewer
a cinema audience / viewer
to attract / draw / pull in (an) audience / viewers / spectators
a(n) audience / viewer / observer / spectator / onlooker / passer-by / bystander witnesses sth
••
WORD ORIGIN
Old English witnes (see wit , -ness ).