character witness

noun

: a person who gives evidence in a legal action concerning the reputation, conduct, and moral nature of a party

Examples of character witness in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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Jurors heard from dozens of witnesses, including students who saw the confrontation, investigators, medical experts, and defense character witnesses. Matthew Davisson, CBS News, 19 June 2026 The prosecution presented witnesses and dozens of exhibits; Roundtree called only three character witnesses and introduced a single exhibit—Crump himself. Joan Hibler, Encyclopedia Britannica, 5 Mar. 2026 Through a series of questions, the prosecutor asked Serafini did his attorneys inform him that calling up character witnesses would give the prosecution a chance to call up witnesses who would contradict their testimony? Rosalio Ahumada, Sacbee.com, 10 Feb. 2026 The character witnesses ranged from Busfield's kindergarten friends to neighbors, former costars and family members. Kimi Robinson, USA Today, 22 Jan. 2026 See All Example Sentences for character witness

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1832, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of character witness was circa 1832

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Cite this Entry

“Character witness.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/character%20witness. Accessed 23 Jun. 2026.

Legal Definition

character witness

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