eyewitness

noun

eye·​wit·​ness ˈī-ˈwit-nəs How to pronounce eyewitness (audio)
: one who sees an occurrence or an object
especially : one who gives a report on what he or she has seen

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 Police spent years searching for a suspect, investigating thousands of leads and releasing multiple composite sketches of the suspect based on eyewitness accounts. Kerry Breen, CBS News, 18 Oct. 2024 According to eyewitnesses, both men stopped and exited their vehicles at the intersection. Kc Baker, People.com, 14 Oct. 2024 When Friedkin came aboard to helm the big-screen adaptation, he and Blatty were given access to the diaries of a priest who assisted in the rites, a Jesuit named William Halloran, as well as other eyewitness accounts. Katie Rife, EW.com, 13 Oct. 2024 According to eyewitness accounts, the beast has been seen kneeling over a deer, walking on its hind legs, and reaching to the back of a truck to retrieve a roadkill deer. Rashad Alexander, Journal Sentinel, 30 Sep. 2024 See all Example Sentences for eyewitness 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'eyewitness.' 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

1539, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of eyewitness was in 1539

Dictionary Entries Near eyewitness

Cite this Entry

“Eyewitness.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/eyewitness. Accessed 31 Oct. 2024.

Kids Definition

eyewitness

noun
eye·​wit·​ness -ˈwit-nəs How to pronounce eyewitness (audio)
: 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
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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