witch doctor

noun

Definition of witch doctornext
as in medicine man

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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 witch doctor She’s set on turning a frog prince, Naveen, back into a human after he’s cursed by an evil voodoo witch doctor, Facilier. — Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 17 July 2026 Blacks were not treated by white doctors in all-white hospitals but were sent to inferior facilities to be treated by men who were little more than witch doctors. — Sandra Dallas, Denver Post, 3 May 2026 Webber said that groups, called krewes, organize parades and distribute beads featuring characters such as kings and witch doctors. — Saleen Martin, USA TODAY, 3 Mar. 2025 While Keaton did not elaborate on the shrunken head room, the first film featured a scene in which Beetlejuice’s own head gets shrunk by a witch doctor who also shrunk the head of a hunter. — Eric Andersson, Peoplemag, 19 Feb. 2024 What, did Orlando City send a staffer to Sacramento’s practice or a witch doctor? — Mike Bianchi, Orlando Sentinel, 7 Sep. 2022 On the other chair was Sincere Seven, the 43-year-old master of this ceremony, who calls himself a multidimensional travel agent, spiritual tour guide, medicine man and witch doctor. — John Carlisle, Freep.com, 18 Aug. 2022 But a witch doctor told them their girls, Victorine and Victoria Nikiema, needed to beg for money on the side of the road or risk being killed by a family member’s spirit. — Sam Mednick, ajc, 26 Dec. 2021
Recent Examples of Synonyms for witch doctor
  1. medicine man
  2. shaman
  3. sorcerer
Noun
  • Authorities say Chasing Horse spent nearly 20 years abusing his position as a Lakota medicine man to take advantage of women and girls.
    — Jami Ganz, New York Daily News, 28 Apr. 2026
  • During his trial in January, prosecutors said the former actor weaponized his reputation as a Lakota medicine man, exploiting cultural traditions and spiritual beliefs to prey on Indigenous women and girls.
    — Janelle Ash, FOXNews.com, 28 Apr. 2026
Definition of medicine man
Noun
  • Designed as a place to totally switch off, there are yoga classes in the morning, a massage ger, a resident shaman, and a sauna that looks over the dramatic landscapes of the Orkhon River.
    — Luke Abrahams, Vogue, 27 Oct. 2026
  • After prescriptions failed, Manganiello pursued alternative healing and says a Santa Monica shaman helped free him from ancestral trauma.
    — Emily St. Martin, Los Angeles Times, 7 Oct. 2026
Definition of shaman
Noun
  • While much of the plot still remains hidden in the eastern European nation of Latveria, it is known to feature heroes from different timelines that team-up to fight the universe-shattering peril of a sorcerer scientist named Doctor Doom.
    — Borys Kit, HollywoodReporter, 23 Oct. 2026
  • It's based on a Russian fairy tale called the Firebird, which is about a young prince who rescues a coterie of princesses from an evil sorcerer.
    — Libby Smith, CBS News, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of sorcerer

Browse Nearby Words

witchcrafts
witch doctor
witch doctors
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Cite this Entry

“Witch doctor.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/witch%20doctor. Accessed 31 Oct. 2026.

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