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- pronunciation:
- wIt
nihs
- parts of speech:
- transitive verb, intransitive verb, noun
- features:
- Word Combinations (verb, noun), Word History, Word Explorer, Word Parts
| part of speech: |
transitive verb |
| inflections: |
witnesses, witnessing, witnessed |
| definition 1: |
to see or personally experience.
She witnessed the crime.The soldiers have witnessed the horrors of war.He witnessed the woman entering the building around eight o'clock.She witnessed the boy grab the man's wallet.- synonyms:
- eyewitness, know, see
- similar words:
- behold, experience, observe, perceive
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| definition 2: |
to give or serve as evidence of; testify to.
This vicious act witnesses her intense hatred for him.- synonyms:
- attest, testify
- similar words:
- confirm, corroborate, demonstrate, depose, establish, evidence, evince, express, reveal, show, substantiate, swear, verify, vouch
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| definition 3: |
to watch or be present at.
Hundreds of people witnessed the hanging.- synonyms:
- attend, see, watch
- similar words:
- behold, observe, view
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| definition 4: |
to attest to the legality of by signing one's name.
The notary witnessed their signatures.- synonyms:
- attest, notarize, sign
- similar words:
- certify, endorse, initial, testify, undersign, validate
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| related words: |
mark, note, see |
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| part of speech: |
intransitive verb |
| definition: |
to supply or act as evidence; testify.
The doctor who did the examination will witness today in court.- synonyms:
- testify
- similar words:
- attest, certify, depose, swear, vouch
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| part of speech: |
noun |
| definition 1: |
a person who sees or experiences an occurrence.
I was a witness to the fight.- synonyms:
- eyewitness, spectator
- similar words:
- beholder, bystander, looker-on, observer, onlooker, viewer, watcher
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| definition 2: |
a person who supplies evidence, esp. in a court of law.
The prosecutor called her next witness.- synonyms:
- testifier
- similar words:
- deponent, informant, informer
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| definition 3: |
a person who formally attests to a document by signing it.
He acted as a witness to the will.- similar words:
- notary public, signer
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| definition 4: |
something that acts as evidence.
The book's worldwide popularity is a witness to its universality.- synonyms:
- evidence, testimony
- similar words:
- affidavit, confirmation, declaration, deposition, profession, proof, statement, testimonial, verification
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| related words: |
evidence, testimony |
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| derivations: |
witnessable (adj.), witnesser (n.) |
The word witness comes from wit, which in Old English means "knowledge."
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