eyewitness

noun

eye·​wit·​ness ˈī-ˈwit-nəs 

: one who sees an occurrence or an object

especially : one who gives a report of what has happened

Examples of eyewitness in a Sentence

The police are hoping to locate an eyewitness to the shooting.

He was able to give an eyewitness account of the shooting.

Recent Examples on the Web

The details remain unproveable, and reports of the event vary, even from the few eyewitnesses, but the legend has remained. — Literary Hub, 8 Sep. 2026

Thanks to an eyewitness and video surveillance footage, investigators determined the shooter cased the area on an electric bike before approaching the man from the back of the building and repeatedly shooting him, according to the sheriff’s office. — Sofia Saric, Miami Herald, 3 Sep. 2026

The people in the video matched the descriptions eyewitnesses to the shooting, many of whom were school students, gave to Louisville police, Skaggs said. — Monroe Trombly, Louisville Courier Journal, 2 Sep. 2026

National Geographic says the project combines eyewitness testimony with data visualization tools to create an immersive storytelling experience centered on loss, resilience, survival and hope. — Saman Shafiq, USA Today, 1 Sep. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1539, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for eyewitness

• fitness
• witness
• unfitness

Kids Definition

eyewitness

noun

eye·​wit·​ness -ˈwit-nəs 

: a person who sees an occurrence and is able to give a report of it

Legal Definition

eyewitness

noun

eye·​wit·​ness

: one who sees an occurrence or object or sometimes experiences it through other senses (as hearing) and usually reports or testifies about it