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.
Local residents were among the first people to reach the scene, and rescue workers arrived within minutes, eyewitnesses said. — Sophia Saifi, CNN Money, 15 Oct. 2026 Detroit police detectives walked the east side of Detroit Wednesday afternoon, looking for more evidence and eyewitnesses. — Veronica Ortega, CBS News, 14 Oct. 2026 The man was riding the roller coaster with his son, while his wife and daughter watched from the ground, according to an eyewitness account reported by local station WXIA. — Andrea Margolis, FOXNews.com, 13 Oct. 2026 The incident Monday afternoon sparked horrified reactions on social media as eyewitnesses shared their experiences online. — Taylor Croft, AJC.com, 13 Oct. 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 20 Oct. 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

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