as in witnesses
a person who sees something happen and is able to describe it
The police are hoping to locate an eyewitness to the shooting.
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Recent Examples of eyewitnesses
According to News Karnataka, eyewitnesses claimed to see the large animal lift the driver with its trunk before trampling and fatally goring him.
—
Desiree Anello, PEOPLE, 3 May 2026
Palestinian eyewitnesses say Israeli soldiers were on the scene within minutes and did nothing to stop or apprehend the shooter.
—Molly Hunter, NBC news, 2 May 2026
Police from the 13th Precinct who responded to the scene of his killing initially couldn’t locate any eyewitnesses.
—Molly Crane-Newman, New York Daily News, 28 Apr. 2026
Citizens are mainly present as eyewitnesses in crisis events, breaking news situations, or to represent the public opinion in vox pops.
—Florian Wintterlin, Encyclopedia Britannica, 23 Apr. 2026
Two Palestinians, among them a 14-year-old boy, have been shot and killed at a school in the occupied West Bank amid an attack by Israeli settlers, the Palestinian Health Ministry and multiple eyewitnesses said.
—Zeena Saifi, CNN Money, 22 Apr. 2026
Barocio first appears to wave Delacruz away, then the group walks off camera, where eyewitnesses told police Barocio shot Laredo-Arellano in the mouth.
—Nate Gartrell, Mercury News, 9 Apr. 2026
The American Meteor Society's report shows eyewitnesses strewn throughout the East Coast, including into eastern Pennsylvania.
—Kate Perez, USA Today, 8 Apr. 2026
But the other survivor’s testimony implicated Sierra, and that was enough to send him to prison in an era of limited forensic evidence and a high level of trust in eyewitnesses and police officers.
—Joe Mahr, Chicago Tribune, 29 Mar. 2026
Desiree Anello, PEOPLE, 3 May 2026
Palestinian eyewitnesses say Israeli soldiers were on the scene within minutes and did nothing to stop or apprehend the shooter.
—Molly Hunter, NBC news, 2 May 2026
Police from the 13th Precinct who responded to the scene of his killing initially couldn’t locate any eyewitnesses.
—Molly Crane-Newman, New York Daily News, 28 Apr. 2026
Citizens are mainly present as eyewitnesses in crisis events, breaking news situations, or to represent the public opinion in vox pops.
—Florian Wintterlin, Encyclopedia Britannica, 23 Apr. 2026
Two Palestinians, among them a 14-year-old boy, have been shot and killed at a school in the occupied West Bank amid an attack by Israeli settlers, the Palestinian Health Ministry and multiple eyewitnesses said.
—Zeena Saifi, CNN Money, 22 Apr. 2026
Barocio first appears to wave Delacruz away, then the group walks off camera, where eyewitnesses told police Barocio shot Laredo-Arellano in the mouth.
—Nate Gartrell, Mercury News, 9 Apr. 2026
The American Meteor Society's report shows eyewitnesses strewn throughout the East Coast, including into eastern Pennsylvania.
—Kate Perez, USA Today, 8 Apr. 2026
But the other survivor’s testimony implicated Sierra, and that was enough to send him to prison in an era of limited forensic evidence and a high level of trust in eyewitnesses and police officers.
—Joe Mahr, Chicago Tribune, 29 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for eyewitnesses
witnesses
Noun
-
In response, though, Weiss Ortiz argued in a motion that the decision to sever the cases does the opposite — inefficiently creating two duplicative trials with overlapping evidence and witnesses.—
Madeline Buckley,
Chicago Tribune,
3 May 2026
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Police are looking for witnesses and surveillance footage to find out what led to the gun shots, according to the release.—
Eleanor Nash,
Kansas City Star,
3 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Eyewitnesses.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/eyewitnesses. Accessed 7 May. 2026.
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