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
Two bystanders were in a truck outside of the sheriff’s office and sustained gunshot wounds to their legs, leaving them hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries, according to Shoshone County Sheriff William Eddy.
—
Shoshone News-Press, Idaho Statesman, 27 Dec. 2025
Police said the attacker was ultimately confronted by a civilian bystander in the nearby city of Afula and evacuated to a hospital in moderate condition.
—Dana Karni, CNN Money, 26 Dec. 2025
Two different bystanders, identified as Boris and Sofia Gurman, were seen on video confronting a gunman before the shooting began at Bondi Beach in Sydney, Australia.
—Michael Sinkewicz, FOXNews.com, 26 Dec. 2025
According to accounts, this saved the precious book but injured a passing bystander in the process.
—Christopher McFadden, Interesting Engineering, 25 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for bystander
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Shoshone News-Press, Idaho Statesman, 27 Dec. 2025
Police said the attacker was ultimately confronted by a civilian bystander in the nearby city of Afula and evacuated to a hospital in moderate condition.
—Dana Karni, CNN Money, 26 Dec. 2025
Two different bystanders, identified as Boris and Sofia Gurman, were seen on video confronting a gunman before the shooting began at Bondi Beach in Sydney, Australia.
—Michael Sinkewicz, FOXNews.com, 26 Dec. 2025
According to accounts, this saved the precious book but injured a passing bystander in the process.
—Christopher McFadden, Interesting Engineering, 25 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for bystander
Cite this Entry
“Bystander.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bystander. Accessed 2 Jan. 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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