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

The inquest is expected to consider some or all of the concerns that were raised at the time and reported by The Athletic in the immediate aftermath, with multiple eyewitnesses alleging failings in the care provided by Sheffield Wednesday and its medical services. —Steve Madeley, New York Times, 28 Sep. 2025

Once she was transported to an area hospital, neighbors and eyewitnesses told police another person had been shot inside the home. —Robert A. Cronkleton, Kansas City Star, 26 Sep. 2025

The eyewitnesses — boaters who were on the scene immediately after the crash, before first responders — contradicted several key aspects of the FWC report. —Grethel Aguila, Miami Herald, 26 Sep. 2025

Dearman, 36, had meth in his body when Alabama put him to death by lethal injection in October 2024, according to a toxicology report confirming what eyewitnesses believed at the time. —Abigail Brooks, NBC news, 25 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