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
His move to the Sandringham estate was accelerated after the latest batch of Epstein files were released, and after Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor was seen waving to photographers and bystanders at Windsor Castle, as if nothing had happened.
—
Rachel Burchfield, InStyle, 8 Feb. 2026
Amadou Diallo, 27, who police believe was a bystander, was also fatally struck as the bullets flew.
—Nicholas Williams, New York Daily News, 8 Feb. 2026
The images captured by bystanders and immigration agents were reminiscent of the lynching postcards that white spectators once bought and traded — reproductions of retributive violence, tailor-made to titillate and intimidate.
—Tressie McMillan Cottom, Mercury News, 7 Feb. 2026
Florida Highway Patrol, which is deputized to do immigration enforcement, conducting an arrest while refusing to say why, violently arresting a family member for daring to ask why the arrest is happening, and threatening to arrest a bystander in a public street who is filming.
—Shira Moolten, Sun Sentinel, 6 Feb. 2026
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Rachel Burchfield, InStyle, 8 Feb. 2026
Amadou Diallo, 27, who police believe was a bystander, was also fatally struck as the bullets flew.
—Nicholas Williams, New York Daily News, 8 Feb. 2026
The images captured by bystanders and immigration agents were reminiscent of the lynching postcards that white spectators once bought and traded — reproductions of retributive violence, tailor-made to titillate and intimidate.
—Tressie McMillan Cottom, Mercury News, 7 Feb. 2026
Florida Highway Patrol, which is deputized to do immigration enforcement, conducting an arrest while refusing to say why, violently arresting a family member for daring to ask why the arrest is happening, and threatening to arrest a bystander in a public street who is filming.
—Shira Moolten, Sun Sentinel, 6 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for bystander
Cite this Entry
“Bystander.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bystander. Accessed 11 Feb. 2026.
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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