eyewitness

noun

eye·​wit·​ness ˈī-ˈwit-nəs How to pronounce eyewitness (audio)
Synonyms of eyewitnessnext
: one who sees an occurrence or an object
especially : one who gives a report of what has happened

Examples of eyewitness in a Sentence

The police are hoping to locate an eyewitness to the shooting. He was able to give an eyewitness account of the shooting.
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
City officials later said eyewitnesses detained the teen until police arrived and took him into custody. — Jakob Rodgers, Mercury News, 16 June 2026 Police who investigated Bernadette’s lethal fall found no eyewitnesses other than her husband. — Chris Spargo, PEOPLE, 1 July 2026 Testimony by other eyewitnesses was used to corroborate defense claims that New Year’s revelers were setting off fireworks in the area that night. — Jack Hannah, CNN Money, 25 June 2026 An eyewitness also identified Taylor. — ABC News, 17 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for eyewitness

Word History

First Known Use

1539, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of eyewitness was in 1539

Rhymes for eyewitness

See All Rhymes for eyewitness

Browse Nearby Words

eyewinker
eyewitness
eyewort
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Eyewitness.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/eyewitness. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

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Kids Definition

eyewitness

noun
eye·​wit·​ness -ˈwit-nəs How to pronounce eyewitness (audio)
: a person who sees an occurrence and is able to give a report of it

Legal Definition

eyewitness

noun
eye·​wit·​ness
: one who sees an occurrence or object or sometimes experiences it through other senses (as hearing) and usually reports or testifies about it

More from Merriam-Webster on eyewitness

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for eyewitness

Nglish: Translation of eyewitness for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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