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

Burgum said that the administration has video evidence and eyewitness accounts of people destroying the Reflecting Pool. — Drew Pittock, USA Today, 5 July 2026

As people hit the ground, eyewitnesses said Schlanger remained standing. — John Blake, CNN Money, 5 July 2026

The idea was for Carrol to become an eyewitness to the sheriff’s encounters with others in the office, to foil potential future allegations of improper conduct, Carrol testified. — Emerson Clarridge, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 2 July 2026

Police who investigated Bernadette’s lethal fall found no eyewitnesses other than her husband. — Chris Spargo, PEOPLE, 1 July 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