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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
One witness, Darryl Brown, then 16 and a friend of Miller’s, identified Miller as the killer — the sole eyewitness against Miller in the case. Rocco Parascandola, New York Daily News, 23 July 2025 Mortensen not only survived the brutal massacre, but is also the only eyewitness to have seen Kohberger at the scene of the crime. Chris Spargo, People.com, 23 July 2025 Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said Russian air defense units intercepted 13 drones flying toward the capital just before 2 a.m. on Saturday, with eyewitnesses reporting some of the devices had been short down 23 miles northwest of the city. Brendan Cole, MSNBC Newsweek, 19 July 2025 Testimony from an eyewitness also helped prosecutors win the case. Ryan Oehrli july 9, Charlotte Observer, 9 July 2025 See All Example Sentences for eyewitness

Word History

First Known Use

1539, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of eyewitness was in 1539

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Eyewitness.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/eyewitness. Accessed 30 Jul. 2025.

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

More from Merriam-Webster on eyewitness

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