hostile witness

idiom

: witness in a legal case who supports the opposing side

Examples of hostile witness in a Sentence

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.
The Atlanta sensation had initially testified last week when he was called as a hostile witness by Doe’s legal team. Amber Corrine, VIBE.com, 2 Apr. 2025 Way started his testimony briefly last week when he was called by the Jane Doe as a hostile witness. Nancy Dillon, Rolling Stone, 1 Apr. 2025 Kato Kaelin gave testimony at the Simpson trial, but was declared a hostile witness Kaelin was with Simpson before and after the time it's believed Brown Simpson and Goldman were murdered. Journal Sentinel, 11 Apr. 2024 Back in the courtroom with Jordan Payne on the stand after all, McCoy proved that Payne, Kelton and Veronica were all on the aforementioned trip to St. Bart's by using the flight manifesto, and despite Jordan’s penchant for being a hostile witness, his testimony spelled bad news for Kelton. Alex Ross, Peoplemag, 23 Feb. 2024 Here, Booth -- an attorney -- employed an effective courtroom tactic of letting a hostile witness discredit himself on the stand. Bryan Hendricks, arkansasonline.com, 10 Dec. 2023 Murphey would have still refused to testify and become a hostile witness. Jeremy Kohler, ProPublica, 10 Oct. 2023 McConney was granted immunity from prosecution and testified against the companies earlier in the trial, including for part of that testimony as a hostile witness. Kevin McCoy, USA TODAY, 17 Nov. 2022 Judge Juan Merchan declined to declare McConney a hostile witness, which would have allowed prosecutors to ask more leading questions. Aaron Katersky, ABC News, 1 Nov. 2022

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Hostile witness.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hostile%20witness. Accessed 15 Apr. 2025.

Legal Definition

hostile witness

see witness

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!