bystander
noun
by·stand·er
ˈbī-ˌstan-dər 
: one who is present but not taking part in a situation or event : a chance spectator
innocent bystanders who were injured in the shooting
Examples of bystander in a Sentence
Two innocent bystanders were injured in the shooting.
bystanders rushed to help the victim of the mugging
Recent Examples on the Web
No Tech for Apartheid, the group that organized the Google protests, said the company fired 20 additional workers this week, including bystanders who did not participate in or cause disruption during last week’s protests.
—
Jessica Guynn, USA TODAY, 26 Apr. 2024
Almost half of the people injured or killed in those pursuits were bystanders, like the bicyclist killed during a police chase in South L.A. on Wednesday morning.
—Ashley Ahn, Los Angeles Times, 24 Apr. 2024
One of those lessons takes place in April 1975, when Peter Yew, a witness to a traffic dispute, protested the police treatment of a bystander.
—Viviane Eng, NBC News, 24 Apr. 2024
More than half of the fatalities were either non-driving passengers in fleeing vehicles or bystanders.
—Tribune News Service, The Mercury News, 19 Apr. 2024
Amid the initial altercation and subsequent shootout, one of the six bystanders who was struck remains in critical condition.
—David J. Neal, Miami Herald, 10 Apr. 2024
Sydney stabbing: 6 dead, suspect killed in attack at major shopping mall
A 57-year-old man was dropping off customers at pier 2 when a bystander told him that his vehicle was moving forward.
—Nadine El-Bawab, ABC News, 13 Apr. 2024
Footage from the fatal stabbing attack at an Australia mall shows a bystander stepping in to confront the apparent attacker.
—Brenton Blanchet, Peoplemag, 13 Apr. 2024
The cruise port bus was dropping off people near a pier when a bystander informed the driver that the bus was moving forward.
—Rebekah Riess, CNN, 13 Apr. 2024
Jessica Guynn, USA TODAY, 26 Apr. 2024
Almost half of the people injured or killed in those pursuits were bystanders, like the bicyclist killed during a police chase in South L.A. on Wednesday morning.
—Ashley Ahn, Los Angeles Times, 24 Apr. 2024
One of those lessons takes place in April 1975, when Peter Yew, a witness to a traffic dispute, protested the police treatment of a bystander.
—Viviane Eng, NBC News, 24 Apr. 2024
More than half of the fatalities were either non-driving passengers in fleeing vehicles or bystanders.
—Tribune News Service, The Mercury News, 19 Apr. 2024
Amid the initial altercation and subsequent shootout, one of the six bystanders who was struck remains in critical condition.
—David J. Neal, Miami Herald, 10 Apr. 2024
Sydney stabbing: 6 dead, suspect killed in attack at major shopping mall
A 57-year-old man was dropping off customers at pier 2 when a bystander told him that his vehicle was moving forward.
—Nadine El-Bawab, ABC News, 13 Apr. 2024
Footage from the fatal stabbing attack at an Australia mall shows a bystander stepping in to confront the apparent attacker.
—Brenton Blanchet, Peoplemag, 13 Apr. 2024
The cruise port bus was dropping off people near a pier when a bystander informed the driver that the bus was moving forward.
—Rebekah Riess, CNN, 13 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'bystander.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near bystander
Cite this Entry
“Bystander.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bystander. Accessed 2 May. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
bystander
noun
by·stand·er
-ˌstan-dər
: a person standing near but taking no part in what is happening
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