noun / verb · neutral
witness
/ˈwɪtnəs/WIT·ness
Someone who saw an event and can give information about it; to see something happen and be able to report it.
Examples
“An eyewitness witnessed the crash and described it to police.”
“The court called a key witness to the stand.”
“He witnessed the exchange and later signed a statement.”
Band 8 sentence
“Several witnesses testified that they saw the defendant near the scene shortly before the incident.”
Collocations
- give a witness statement
- witness to
- eyewitness account
Word family
Common mistakes
He was witness on the accident.→He was a witness to the accident.
I will witness the document.→I will witness the signing of the document. / I will be a witness to the document signing.
Say it for a higher band
5see→6observe→7+witness
Synonyms
observer
Easily confused
observer
“An eyewitness described the suspect to the police.”
Related words
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In Crime & Law
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