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
As part of Majors’ legal team’s response to Rolling Stone’s request for comment on the abuse allegations, his attorneys sent six character witness statements from women who Majors had dated or was close with.
—
Althea Legaspi, Rolling Stone, 29 June 2023
And when Anderson asked to be released on bond, Gantt was there to serve as a character witness along with eight Georgia football players in asking for his release.
—Dan Wolken, USA TODAY, 28 June 2023
In a side plot, Ford’s police character witnesses his partner illegally shoot someone.
—Zack Sharf, Variety, 2 June 2023
David uses the ensuing criminal trial as a vehicle to bring back a host of characters — now character witnesses — who had roles throughout the show’s nine seasons, calling and flashing back to remind viewers of the main characters’ offensive behavior.
—Frederic J. Frommer, Washington Post, 12 May 2023
At the end of the series finale, which was watched by a now unimaginable audience of 76 million people, the gang winds up in jail after that trial in which a parade of character witnesses, many of them wronged by the defendants over nine seasons, attest to their unethical behavior.
—Maya Salam, New York Times, 12 May 2023
Volatile spouses are not usually the most reliable character witnesses, so quoting Taubes’s reference to his wife as Krupskaya can hardly convince.
—Susan Neiman, The New York Review of Books, 6 Apr. 2023
Mauro testified as a character witness.
—Kevin Sherrington, Dallas News, 1 Oct. 2020
Those taking the stand include Betty’s husband, Allan Gore, sounding more like a character witness for the accused.
—Dallas News, 10 May 2022
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Althea Legaspi, Rolling Stone, 29 June 2023
And when Anderson asked to be released on bond, Gantt was there to serve as a character witness along with eight Georgia football players in asking for his release.
—Dan Wolken, USA TODAY, 28 June 2023
In a side plot, Ford’s police character witnesses his partner illegally shoot someone.
—Zack Sharf, Variety, 2 June 2023
David uses the ensuing criminal trial as a vehicle to bring back a host of characters — now character witnesses — who had roles throughout the show’s nine seasons, calling and flashing back to remind viewers of the main characters’ offensive behavior.
—Frederic J. Frommer, Washington Post, 12 May 2023
At the end of the series finale, which was watched by a now unimaginable audience of 76 million people, the gang winds up in jail after that trial in which a parade of character witnesses, many of them wronged by the defendants over nine seasons, attest to their unethical behavior.
—Maya Salam, New York Times, 12 May 2023
Volatile spouses are not usually the most reliable character witnesses, so quoting Taubes’s reference to his wife as Krupskaya can hardly convince.
—Susan Neiman, The New York Review of Books, 6 Apr. 2023
Mauro testified as a character witness.
—Kevin Sherrington, Dallas News, 1 Oct. 2020
Those taking the stand include Betty’s husband, Allan Gore, sounding more like a character witness for the accused.
—Dallas News, 10 May 2022
See More
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'character witness.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
First Known Use
circa 1832, in the meaning defined above
Time Traveler
The first known use of character witness was
circa 1832
Dictionary Entries Near character witness
Cite this Entry
“Character witness.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/character%20witness. Accessed 29 Sep. 2023.
Copy Citation
Legal Definition
character witness
see witness
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