Definition of bystandernext
as in observer
someone who sees or watches something bystanders rushed to help the victim of the mugging

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of bystander The images captured by bystanders and immigration agents were reminiscent of the lynching postcards that white spectators once bought and traded — reproductions of retributive violence, tailor-made to titillate and intimidate. Tressie McMillan Cottom, Mercury News, 7 Feb. 2026 Florida Highway Patrol, which is deputized to do immigration enforcement, conducting an arrest while refusing to say why, violently arresting a family member for daring to ask why the arrest is happening, and threatening to arrest a bystander in a public street who is filming. Shira Moolten, Sun Sentinel, 6 Feb. 2026 Michael Chesna and bystander Vera Adams in a July 2018 rampage. Flint McColgan, Boston Herald, 6 Feb. 2026 Robert is not a man of his time, riding the wave of innovation, but more of an innocent bystander. Chris O'Falt, IndieWire, 6 Feb. 2026 See All Example Sentences for bystander
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bystander
Noun
  • In the days after the training session, about 190 of the more than 400 people who attended had signed on to be observers, according to Luis Argueta, a spokesman for the grassroots organization Unidos MN and a speaker at the event.
    Ray Sanchez, CNN Money, 8 Feb. 2026
  • One possibility is an expansion of the United Nations Truce Supervision Organization, or UNTSO, which maintains a small observer force in Lebanon.
    Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 8 Feb. 2026
Noun
  • Popov has participated in industry discussions around event safety and operational standards, with an emphasis on making rules understandable for participants and spectators alike.
    Connie Etemadi, USA Today, 7 Feb. 2026
  • The images captured by bystanders and immigration agents were reminiscent of the lynching postcards that white spectators once bought and traded — reproductions of retributive violence, tailor-made to titillate and intimidate.
    Tressie McMillan Cottom, Mercury News, 7 Feb. 2026
Noun
  • While the Super Bowl halftime show is happening on NBC and Peacock, Turning Point USA is hosting an alternative halftime show for viewers at home.
    Maria Francis, Oklahoman, 8 Feb. 2026
  • But nothing could have prepared viewers for the movie's ending, as an unfinished screenplay became the stuff of nightmares — literally and figuratively.
    Richard Edwards, Space.com, 8 Feb. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Bystander.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bystander. Accessed 13 Feb. 2026.

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