witness

wit·ness

 (wĭt′nĭs)

n.

1. One who can give a firsthand account of something seen, heard, or experienced: a witness to the accident.

2. Law

a. One who is called on to testify before a court.

b. One who is called on to be present at a transaction in order to attest to what takes place.

c. One who signs one's name to a document for the purpose of attesting to its authenticity.

3.

a. Attestation to a fact, statement, or event; testimony: She bears witness to these events in her letters.

b. Something that serves as evidence; a sign: The parody of the poem is a witness to the poem's popularity.

4.

a. One who publicly affirms religious faith.

b. Witness A member of the Jehovah's Witnesses.

v. wit·nessed, wit·ness·ing, wit·ness·es

v.tr.

1. To see or know by personal experience: witness a robbery; witness the birth of a new nation.

2.

a. To provide or serve as evidence of: The child's laughter witnessed her delight.

b. To consider as an example. Often used in the imperative: Even a widespread species can go extinct. Witness the passenger pigeon.

3. To testify to; bear witness of: The diary witnesses the difficult living conditions of the time.

4. To be the setting or site of: This old auditorium has witnessed many ceremonies.

5. To attest to the legality or authenticity of (a document) by signing one's name.

v.intr.

1. To furnish or serve as evidence: The fine buildings witness to the town's prosperity.

2. To testify to one's religious beliefs: "As they witnessed to their faith they brought others to believe" (Leon Morris).

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[Middle English, from Old English, from wit, knowledge; see wit¹.]

---

wit′ness·er n.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

witness

(ˈwɪtnɪs)

n

1. a person who has seen or can give first-hand evidence of some event

2. (Law) a person or thing giving or serving as evidence

3. (Law) a person who testifies, esp in a court of law, to events or facts within his or her own knowledge

4. (Law) a person who attests to the genuineness of a document, signature, etc, by adding his or her own signature

5. (Law) bear witness

a. to give written or oral testimony

b. to be evidence or proof of. testimonial

vb

6. (tr) to see, be present at, or know at first hand

7. (Law) to give or serve as evidence (of)

8. (tr) to be the scene or setting of: this field has witnessed a battle.

9. (Law) (intr) to testify, esp in a court of law, to events within one's own knowledge

10. (Law) (tr) to attest to the genuineness of (a document, signature, etc) by adding one's own signature

[Old English witnes (meaning both testimony and witness), from witan to know, wit² + -ness; related to Old Norse vitni]

ˈwitnessable adj

ˈwitnesser n

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

wit•ness

(ˈwɪt nɪs)

v.t.

1. to see, hear, or know by personal presence and perception: to witness an accident.

2. to be present at (an occurrence) as a formal witness, spectator, bystander, etc.: She witnessed our wedding.

3. to bear witness to; testify to; give or afford evidence of.

4. to attest by one's signature: He witnessed her will.

v.i.

5. to bear witness; testify; give or afford evidence.

n.

6. a person who is present at an occurrence, esp. one who is able to attest as to what took place.

7. a person who gives testimony, as in a court of law.

8. a person or thing serving as evidence.

9. a person who signs a document attesting the genuineness of its execution.

10. testimony or evidence: to bear witness to her suffering.

[before 950; Middle English, Old English witnes orig., knowledge, understanding]

wit′ness•a•ble, adj.

wit′ness•er, n.

Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.

witness

Past participle: witnessed
Gerund: witnessing

Imperative

witness

witness

Collins English Verb Tables © HarperCollins Publishers 2011

Thesaurus

Noun	1.	witness - someone who sees an event and reports what happened witnesser, informant beholder, observer, perceiver, percipient - a person who becomes aware (of things or events) through the senses attester, attestant - someone who affirms or vouches for the correctness or truth or genuineness of something speaker, talker, verbaliser, verbalizer, utterer - someone who expresses in language; someone who talks (especially someone who delivers a public speech or someone especially garrulous); "the speaker at commencement"; "an utterer of useful maxims" deponent, deposer, testifier - a person who testifies or gives a deposition
	2.	witness - a close observer; someone who looks at something (such as an exhibition of some kind); "the spectators applauded the performance"; "television viewers"; "sky watchers discovered a new star" looker, spectator, viewer, watcher beholder, observer, perceiver, percipient - a person who becomes aware (of things or events) through the senses browser - a viewer who looks around casually without seeking anything in particular bystander - a nonparticipant spectator cheerer - a spectator who shouts encouragement eyewitness - a spectator who can describe what happened gawker - a spectator who stares stupidly without intelligent awareness motion-picture fan, moviegoer - someone who goes to see movies ogler - a viewer who gives a flirtatious or lewd look at another person looker-on, onlooker - someone who looks on playgoer, theatergoer, theatregoer - someone who attends the theater rubbernecker, rubberneck - a person who stares inquisitively spy - a secret watcher; someone who secretly watches other people; "my spies tell me that you had a good time last night" starer - a viewer who gazes fixedly (often with hostility) peeper - a viewer who enjoys seeing the sex acts or sex organs of others
	3.	witness - testimony by word or deed to your religious faith shahadah - the first pillar of Islam is an affirmation of faith testimony - a solemn statement made under oath
	4.	witness - (law) a person who attests to the genuineness of a document or signature by adding their own signature attestant, attestator, attestor law, jurisprudence - the collection of rules imposed by authority; "civilization presupposes respect for the law"; "the great problem for jurisprudence to allow freedom while enforcing order" signatory, signer - someone who signs and is bound by a document
	5.	witness - (law) a person who testifies under oath in a court of law individual, mortal, person, somebody, someone, soul - a human being; "there was too much for one person to do" law, jurisprudence - the collection of rules imposed by authority; "civilization presupposes respect for the law"; "the great problem for jurisprudence to allow freedom while enforcing order" adverse witness, hostile witness - a witness whose relationship to the opposing party is such that his or her testimony may be prejudiced against the opposing party; "a hostile witness can be asked leading questions and cross-examined" character witness - a witness who testifies under oath as to the good reputation of another person in the community where that person lives expert witness - a witness who has knowledge not normally possessed by the average person concerning the topic that he is to testify about lay witness - any witness who does not testify as an expert witness material witness - a witness whose testimony is both relevant to the matter at issue and required in order to resolve the matter
Verb	1.	witness - be a witness to; "She witnessed the accident and had to testify in court" eyewitness - be present at an event and see it with one's own eyes watch - look attentively; "watch a basketball game"
	2.	witness - perceive or be contemporaneous with; "We found Republicans winning the offices"; "You'll see a lot of cheating in this school"; "The 1960's saw the rebellion of the younger generation against established traditions"; "I want to see results" see, find get a line, get wind, get word, hear, learn, discover, find out, pick up, see - get to know or become aware of, usually accidentally; "I learned that she has two grown-up children"; "I see that you have been promoted" catch - become aware of; "he caught her staring out the window" experience, go through, see - go or live through; "We had many trials to go through"; "he saw action in Viet Nam" find - perceive oneself to be in a certain condition or place; "I found myself in a difficult situation"; "When he woke up, he found himself in a hospital room"

Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.

witness

noun

1. observer, viewer, spectator, looker-on, watcher, onlooker, eyewitness, bystander, beholder No witnesses of the crash have come forward.

2. testifier, deponent, attestant Eleven witnesses were called to testify.

verb

1. see, mark, view, watch, note, notice, attend, observe, perceive, look on, be present at, behold (archaic or literary) Anyone who witnessed the attack is urged to contact the police.

2. countersign, sign, endorse, validate Ask a friend to witness your signature on the application.

bear witness

1. confirm, show, prove, demonstrate, bear out, testify to, be evidence of, corroborate, attest to, be proof of, vouch for, evince, betoken, be a monument to, constitute proof of Many of his poems bear witness to the years he spent in India.

2. give evidence, testify, depose, give testimony, depone His mother bore witness in court that he had been at home that night.

Related words
adjective testimonial

Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

witness

noun

1. Someone who sees something occur:

eyewitness, seer, viewer.

2. Something visible or evident that gives grounds for believing in the existence or presence of something else:

badge, evidence, index, indication, indicator, manifestation, mark, note, sign, signification, stamp, symptom, token.

3. One who testifies, especially in court:

attestant, attester, testifier.

Law: deponent.

4. A formal declaration of truth or fact given under oath:

testimony.

Law: deposition.

verb

1. To give grounds for believing in the existence or presence of:

argue, attest, bespeak, betoken, indicate, mark, point to, testify.

2. To confirm formally as true, accurate, or genuine:

attest, certify, testify, vouch (for).

Idiom: bear witness to.

3. To give evidence or testimony under oath:

attest, swear, testify.

Law: depone, depose.

Idioms: bear witness, take the stand.

The American Heritage® Roget's Thesaurus. Copyright © 2013, 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Translations

شَاهِدشاهِدشاهِد على تَوقيعشاهِد في مَحْكَمَهيَشْهَد، يَرى

svědeksvědectví

vidnevitterlighedsvidnebevidne

ZeugeZeuginAugenzeugeAugenzeuginbeglaubigen

μάρτυραςβλέπω

testigoverasistirfirmar como testigopresenciar

todistaja

témointémoignervoirattesterdémontrer

svjedoksvjedokinjasvjedočanstvosvjedočiti

tanútanúként aláírtanúságtanúsítfültanú

saksi

sjónarvottur, vitnivera vitni aîvitnivotta, staîfestavottur

testimonetestimoniareessere presente a...firmareteste

目撃者

증인

būti liudininkuliudininkas

aculiecinieksapliecinātapstiprinātbūt lieciniekamliecinieks

getuigegetuigenis

vitnebevitnelseovervære som vitnevære vitne til

świadekświadectwo

testemunha

свидетельсвидетельствосвидетельстоватьзаверитьочевидец

byť svedkomsvedok

biti pričaočividecpriča

vittnevittnesmålbevittnavittna om

พยาน

tanıktanık/şahit olmaktanıklık yapmakşahit

nhân chứng

证人连署人作证目击

witness

[ˈwɪtnɪs]

A. N

1. (= person) → testigo mf
eye witness → testigo ocular
witness for the prosecution/defence → testigo de cargo/descargo
there were no witnesses → no hubo testigos
to call sb as a witness → citar a algn como testigo
we want no witnesses to this → no queremos que nadie vea esto, no queremos que haya testigos
I was (a) witness to this event → yo presencié este suceso, yo fui testigo de este suceso

2. (= evidence) → testimonio m
to give witness for/against sb → atestiguar a favor de/en contra de algn
to bear witness to sth (lit) → atestiguar algo (fig) → demostrar or probar algo
in witness of → en fe de

B. VT

1. (= be present at) → presenciar, asistir a; (= see) → ver
to witness sb doing sth → ver a algn hacer algo, ver cómo algn hace algo
the accident was witnessed by two people → hay dos testigos del accidente
to witness a document → firmar un documento como testigo
this period witnessed important changes (liter) → este periodo fue testigo de cambios importantes

2. (= attest by signature) → atestiguar la veracidad de

3. (= consider as evidence) → ver, mirar

C. VI (= testify) → dar testimonio, atestiguar
to witness to sth → dar testimonio de or atestiguar algo

D. CPD witness box (Brit) witness stand (US) N → tribuna f de los testigos, estrado m

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

witness

[ˈwɪtnəs]

n

(= eyewitness) → témoin m
There were no witnesses → Il n'a pas eu de témoins.
in front of witnesses → devant témoins
to be witness to sth (= see) → être témoin de qch

(in court) → témoin m
witness for the prosecution → témoin à charge
witness for the defence → témoin à décharge

(to signature, marriage) → témoin m

(= testimony) to bear witness to sth → témoigner de qch

vt

(= see) [+ incident, attack, crime] → être témoin de

[+ signature, document] → certifier

(fig) (= see) [+ changes, events] → assister à
We are witnessing the breakdown of bureaucracy → Nous assistons à la faillite de la bureaucratie.

vi
to witness to sth → témoigner de qch
to witness to having seen sth → témoigner avoir vu qchwitness box (British) witness stand (US) n → barre f des témoinswitness statement n → déposition f de témoin

Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

witness

n

(= person: Jur, fig) → Zeuge m, → Zeugin f; witness for the defence (Brit) or defense (US) → Zeuge m → /Zeugin f → der Verteidigung; witness for the prosecution → Zeuge m → /Zeugin f → der Anklage; as God is my witness → Gott sei or ist mein Zeuge; to call somebody as a witness → jdn als Zeugen/Zeugin vorladen; I was then witness to a scene … → ich wurde Zeuge einer Szene …

(= evidence) → Zeugnis nt; in witness whereof (form) → zu Urkund or zum Zeugnis dessen; to bear witness to something (lit, fig) → Zeugnis über etw (acc) → ablegen; (actions, events also) → von etw zeugen

vt

(= see) accident → Zeuge/Zeugin sein bei or (+gen); scenes → (mit)erleben, mit ansehen; changes → erleben; the year 1945 witnessed great changes → das Jahr 1945 sah einen großen Wandel

(= testify) → bezeugen; to call somebody to witness that … → jdn zum Zeugen dafür rufen, dass …

(= consider as evidence) → denken an (+acc), → zum Beispiel nehmen; witness the case of X → denken Sie nur an den Fall X, nehmen Sie nur den Fall X zum Beispiel

(= attest by signature) signature, will → bestätigen

vi (= testify) → bestätigen, bezeugen; to witness to something → etw bestätigen or bezeugen; to witness against somebody → gegen jdn aussagen

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

witness

[ˈwɪtnɪs]

1. n

a. (person) → testimone m/f
witness for the prosecution/defence → testimone a carico/discarico
to call sb as a witness → chiamare qn a testimoniare

b. (evidence) → testimonianza
to bear witness to sth (subj, person) → testimoniare qc (thing, result) → provare qc

2. vt

a. (event, crime) → essere testimone di; (change, improvement) → constatare

b. (attest by signature, document) → autenticare

3. vi (testify) → testimoniare
to witness to sth/having seen sth → testimoniare qc/di aver visto qc

Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995

witness

(ˈwitnəs) noun

1. a person who has seen or was present at an event etc and so has direct knowledge of it. Someone must have seen the accident but the police can find no witnesses. getuie شاهِد свидетел testemunha svědek, -kyně der Zeuge/die Zeugin vidne αυτόπτης μάρτυραςtestigo pealtnägija شاهد silminnäkijä témoinעד प्रेक्षक svjedok szemtanú saksi sjónarvottur, vitni testimone 目撃者 목격자 liudininkas [] liecinieks saksi getuigevitneświadek لوونه، شاهد، شاهدي testemunha martor очевидец svedok priča svedok vittne พยาน şahit, tanık 目擊者 очевидець گواہ nhân chứng 目击者

2. a person who gives evidence, especially in a law court. getuie شاهِد في مَحْكَمَه свидетел testemunha svědek, -kyně der Zeuge/die Zeugin vidne μάρτυρας δικαστηρίου testigo tunnistaja گواهى دادن todistaja témoinעד गवाह svjedok tanú saksi vitni testimone 証人 증거가 되는 사람 liudytojas liecinieks saksi getuigevitneświadek شاهدی ورکول testemunha martor свидетель svedok priča svedok vittne พยาน şahit, tanık 證人 свідок گواہی nhân chứng 证人

3. a person who adds his signature to a document to show that he considers another signature on the document to be genuine. You cannot sign your will without witnesses. getuie شاهِد على تَوقيع свидетел testemunha svědek, -kyně der Zeuge/die Zeugin vidne; vitterlighedsvidne μάρτυραςtestigo tunnistaja شهادت دادن todistaja témoinעד साक्षी svjedok tanú saksi (vitundar)vottur testimone 連署人 연서인(連署人) liudininkas liecinieks saksi getuigebevitnelse, vitneświadek شاهدی ورکول testemunha mar­tor свидетель svedok priča svedok vittne ผู้ลงชื่อเป็นพยาน şahit, tanık 連署人 засвідчувач تصدیق lời ký làm chứng 连署人

verb

1. to see and be present at. This lady witnessed an accident at three o'clock this afternoon. gesien يَشْهَد، يَرى присъствам на presenciar být svědkem Augenzeuge sein være vidne til βλέπω, είμαι παρών σε κτ. presenciar, ver pealt nägema شهادت دادن olla silminnäkijänä être témoin de להיוֹת עֵד प्रेक्षण करना svjedočiti szemtanúja (vminek) menyaksikan vera vitni að essere testimone di 目撃する …을 목격하다 būti liudininku redzēt savām acīm; būt (kaut kā) lieciniekam menyaksikan; melihat kejadian getuige zijn van være vitne til, overvære być świadkiem شاهدی ورکول presenciar a fi martor la быть очевидцем, свидетелем byť svedkom biti priča biti svedok bevittna เป็นพยาน tanık/şahit olmak 目擊 бути свідком; бачити شہادت دینا chứng kiến 目击

2. to sign one's name to show that one knows that (something) is genuine. He witnessed my signature on the new agreement. as getuie geteken يُوَقِّع على، يَشْهَدُ على صِحَّةِ подписвам се като свидетел assinar como testemunha ověřit beglaubigen bevidne είμαι μάρτυρας, υπογράφω ως μάρτυρας firmar como testigo tõestama, kinnitama گواه بودن بر vahvistaa oikeaksi attester l'authenticité de לַחתוֹם כְּעֵד गवाही देना potpisati tanúként aláír menjadi saksi votta, staðfesta attestare 連署する …에 증인으로서 서명하다 paliudyti, patvirtinti apliecināt; apstiprināt menjadi saksi als getuige ondertekenen bevitne, overvære som vitnepoświadczyć شاهد اوسیدل assinar como testemunha a atesta засвидетельствовать overiť overiti biti svedok intyga, betyga ลงนามเป็นพยาน tanıklık yapmak 作證 засвідчувати تصدیق کرنا ký tên làm chứng 作证

ˈwitness-box / ˈwitness-stand noun

the stand from which a witness gives evidence in a court of law. getuiebank مَقْصورة الشُّهود في المَحْكَمَه свидетелска банка banco das testemunhas svědecká lavice der Zeugenstand vidneskranke εδώλιο μάρτυρα στο δικαστήριο barra de los testigos tunnistajapink جايگاه شهود todistajanaitio barre des témoins דוּכָן עִדים कठघरा postolje za svjedoka tanúk padja tempat saksi vitnastúka banco dei testimoni 証人席 (법정의) 증인석 liudytojo vieta liecinieka tribīne kandang saksi getuigenbank vitneboks barierka dla świadków د شهود ځاي banco das testemunhas boxa/banca martorilor место для дачи свидетельских показаний (в суде) svedecká lavica prostor za pričo postolje za svedočenje vittnesbås คอกพยาน tanık/şahit kürsüsü 證人席 місце для свідків گواہ کا کٹہرا ghế nhân chứng 证人席

bear witness

to give evidence. She will bear witness to his honesty. getuig يَشْهَد، يُؤَدّي الشَّهادَه доказвам dar testemunho dosvědčit bezeugen bevidne βεβαιώνω για dar fe, atestiguar tunnistajaks olema گواهی دادن todistaa témoigner לְהָעִיד עַל- गवाही देना svjedočiti vmit tanúsít memberi kesaksian bera vitni, vitna fare testimonianza 証言する 증언을 하다 paliudyti []liecināt menjadi saksi getuigenavlegge vitnesbyrdzaświadczyć شاهدی ورکول dar testemunho a depune mărturie свидетельствовать dosvedčiť pričati o dati dokaz bära vittnesbörd om, vittna om เปิดเผยหลักฐาน tanıklık/şahitlik yapmak 作證 давати свідчення شہادت دینا cung cấp chứng cứ 作证

Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary © 2006-2013 K Dictionaries Ltd.

witness

→ شَاهِد svědek vidne Zeuge μάρτυρας testigo todistaja témoin svjedok testimone 目撃者 증인 getuige vitne świadek testemunha свидетель vittne พยาน tanık nhân chứng 证人

Multilingual Translator © HarperCollins Publishers 2009

• Can you be a witness for me? → هَلْ يـُمْكِنُكَ أَنْ تَكونَ شَاهِداً معي عَلَى الـحَاِدثِ؟ → Můžete mi svědčit? → Vil De være mit vidne? → Können Sie für mich Zeuge sein? → Μπορείτε να είστε μάρτυρας για λογαριασμό μου; → ¿Puede servirme de testigo? → Voitteko toimia todistajanani? → Vous pouvez être mon témoin ? → Možete li svjedočiti za mene? → Può essere un mio testimone? → 私の目撃者になってもらえますか？ → 증인이 돼 주시겠어요? → Kunt u voor mij getuigen? → Kan du være vitne for meg? → Czy zostanie Panmoim świadkiem? → O senhor pode ser minha testemunha? → Будьте моим свидетелем, пожалуйста → Kan ni vara vittne åt mig? → คุณเป็นพยานให้ฉันได้ไหม? → Tanıklık eder misiniz? → Bạn có thể làm chứng cho tôi được không? → 您能做我的目击证人吗？

Collins Multilingual Translator © HarperCollins Publishers 2009