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

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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 After bystanders intervened to stop the attack, police arrested the victim, along with two men and two women who’d taken his side. Jon Lee Anderson, New Yorker, 29 Sep. 2025 Told by a mate that just such a brawl is brewing, Jacob (Will Harrison, excellent) goes flying toward an oblivious bystander, fist first, knocking the unsuspecting victim to the ground. Greg Evans, Deadline, 29 Sep. 2025 Before police arrived, bystanders took the victim to a hospital where he was reported to be in grave condition, according to police. Kyle Martin, Mercury News, 28 Sep. 2025 Eleven people were injured before the suspect was subdued by bystanders in the parking lot. Detroit Free Press, Freep.com, 28 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for bystander
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bystander
Noun
  • To outside observers, China’s economy still looks unstoppable.
    Lavender Au, The Dial, 7 Oct. 2025
  • The indictment — and the machinations that led to it — are the latest, and arguably most concerning, example of what many legal observers point to as the politicization and weaponization of the department under Bondi.
    Elena Moore, NPR, 7 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • That being said, economists are already warning spectators against relying too heavily on private sector data in a potential void of reporting during the government shutdown.
    Eleanor Pringle, Fortune, 1 Oct. 2025
  • Those who stuck around on a dreary afternoon witnessed Bradley walk up to a spectator along the 18th fairway and ask to borrow his American flag.
    Hugh Kellenberger, New York Times, 30 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • Sportsnet said 60 games averaged over 1 million viewers.
    Richard Deitsch, New York Times, 7 Oct. 2025
  • One is that the slightly narrower frame — and immense height of the IMAX screen — draws the viewer in even closer to the characters.
    Jim Hemphill, IndieWire, 7 Oct. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Bystander.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bystander. Accessed 8 Oct. 2025.

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