eyewitness

noun

eye·​wit·​ness ˈī-ˈwit-nəs 

: 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

Past the 15-year deadline in Massachusetts, no DNA match, eyewitness testimony or even confession can give a rape victim a chance at facing an attacker in court. —Willoughby Mariano, ProPublica, 11 Sep. 2025

Our information will generally come from officials and eyewitnesses and, at times, other media with a track record of accuracy. —The Denver Post, Boston Herald, 11 Sep. 2025

Our information will generally come from officials and eyewitnesses and, at times, other media with a track record of accuracy. —The Denver Post, Denver Post, 10 Sep. 2025

An eyewitness heard the shooting and then saw Byrd standing in the street with a gun while his roommate was on the ground, according to the probable cause document. —Jonathan Limehouse, USA Today, 9 Sep. 2025

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