How to Use witness in a Sentence

witness

1 of 2 noun
  • The defense called its first witness to the stand.
  • There must be two witnesses present when she signs the document.
  • His aunt and uncle were witnesses at his baptism.
  • The only witness to the event: their blind, 11-year-old son.
    Keith Phipps, Rolling Stone, 29 Sep. 2023
  • Ten witnesses were called to the stand in the five-day trial.
    Salvador Hernandez, Los Angeles Times, 3 Nov. 2023
  • Bryant did not take the stand, and his defense did not call any witnesses.
    Carol Robinson | Crobinson@al.com, al, 31 May 2023
  • In the press release, OPD says a witness saw Shepherd jump out of the vehicle.
    Amanda Rabines, Orlando Sentinel, 6 Apr. 2023
  • Michael Burch then fired multiple shots at Rori Burch, who fell to the ground, the witness told police.
    Justin Jouvenal, Washington Post, 1 Sep. 2023
  • But the witness said Williams kept the device or destroyed it when the transfer fell through, according to the FBI.
    Michael Kunzelman, Fortune, 23 Mar. 2023
  • It’s expected that Pence could be called as a witness at the trial.
    Alison Durkee, Forbes, 28 Nov. 2023
  • Washington’s lawyers also pose the question of why none of the witnesses called the police at the time.
    Charna Flam, Peoplemag, 30 Jan. 2024
  • Police found no witnesses, but did find a cell phone, an Android like the one stolen from the victim, in the street.
    cleveland, 1 Sep. 2023
  • When the proceedings resume on Monday, Trump will be in the witness box.
    John Cassidy, The New Yorker, 3 Nov. 2023
  • When another attack splinters the small town of Pikeville, Charlotte is the first witness on the scene.
    Joe Otterson, Variety, 19 Mar. 2024
  • Police spoke with a witness who lived in the neighborhood where the beating occurred and shot video and photos of the scene.
    Adrian Sainz, arkansasonline.com, 15 Feb. 2024
  • Briggs said the state’s case is built on the statements of a witness who has a violent past and isn’t reliable.
    Joel Umanzor, San Francisco Chronicle, 5 Apr. 2023
  • Sean O'Brien, the head of one of the nation's largest and most influential unions, was appearing as a witness.
    Stefan Becket, CBS News, 14 Nov. 2023
  • Police were first notified of the shootings by a witness claiming to have heard gunshots and a sedan fleeing the scene.
    The Arizona Republic, 12 Apr. 2024
  • One would-be witness, the C.I.A.’s chief interrogator in its black site prison network, died before the men were charged.
    Carol Rosenberg, New York Times, 23 Feb. 2024
  • Before leaving, the witness made one last observation to the deputy.
    Michael Ruiz, Fox News, 31 May 2023
  • The witness is Sanderson's acquaintance, Craig Ramon, who was at the resort with him as part of a meetup group.
    Tim Stelloh, NBC News, 24 Mar. 2023
  • He is expected to return to the courthouse toward the end of the case when court records show he will be called as a witness, according to ABC News.
    Asher Notheis, Washington Examiner, 1 Oct. 2023
  • Those witnesses must appear in person on the first day of the trial next week, KXAN reports.
    Chuck Todd, NBC News, 31 Aug. 2023
  • The previous day, the police on the scene had not even taken statements from most of the witnesses to the murder, according to the witness.
    Miami Herald Archives, Miami Herald, 29 Jan. 2024
  • Courts have long said that there is something different about assessing a witness in the flesh.
    Adam Liptak, New York Times, 20 Mar. 2023
  • Those witnesses have differed over which lanes the impacts occurred in.
    Richard Winton, Los Angeles Times, 15 Feb. 2024
  • The threatened passenger ran off the bus, the witness said, and the gunman ran after him, firing several shots.
    Justin George, Washington Post, 2 Feb. 2023
  • Cohen, who in 2018 entered a guilty plea in a related federal case, is the key witness against Trump.
    Graham Kates, CBS News, 14 Apr. 2024
  • Another witness said the group eventually placed the remains in a ravine.
    Samantha Schmidt, Washington Post, 9 Mar. 2024
  • In Iran’s capital, Tehran, witnesses saw long lines at gas stations early Sunday as people appeared worried about what may come next.
    Joseph Federman, Fortune, 14 Apr. 2024
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witness

2 of 2 verb
  • He witnessed the signing of her will.
  • We are witnessing a historic moment.
  • Several people witnessed the accident.
  • The first three weeks of the year witnessed property crime go down 41%.
    Anabel Sosa, Los Angeles Times, 16 Feb. 2024
  • Waves crest and break whether somebody is there to witness it or not.
    The Salt Lake Tribune, 2 Sep. 2023
  • Nikulin had already witnessed some of the war’s horrors.
    Hanna Arhirova, Chicago Tribune, 8 Aug. 2023
  • Across the theater, two others witnessed the scene from seats D41 and D42.
    Ellen Wexler, Smithsonian Magazine, 28 Sep. 2023
  • The crack of dawn is the best time to observe wildlife and witness the syrupy amber alpenglow the sun paints on mountain slopes.
    Mare Czinar, The Arizona Republic, 5 Aug. 2023
  • To witness the opposite end of that spectrum, just drive about 10 miles up the road.
    Jared Diamond, WSJ, 8 Jan. 2024
  • Fortune was on hand to witness the event in the form of this correspondent.
    Ryan Hogg, Fortune Europe, 6 Dec. 2023
  • To talk to Wilson is to witness a bona fide storyteller at work.
    Perrie Samotin, Glamour, 17 Jan. 2024
  • Over and over, Rodriguez said she's witnessed firsthand how much the line can help people.
    Dr. Eli Cahan, ABC News, 1 Feb. 2024
  • One year from Saturday, Ohioans will be able to witness a once-in-a-lifetime event.
    Cincinnati Enquirer, The Enquirer, 7 Apr. 2023
  • The reporter visited the school in March and September and witnessed the opening and closing scenes and the scene of the false alarm in the bathroom.
    Maggie Prosser, Dallas News, 14 Sep. 2023
  • Two days later, the Mitchell crew was present in the stands to witness Garrett's first career home run in a win over the Pittsburgh Pirates.
    Christopher Kuhagen, Journal Sentinel, 6 Apr. 2023
  • The minister also witnessed a heavy armchair in which the boy was sitting tilting to a side and tossing the boy on the floor.
    Maham Javaid, Washington Post, 20 Oct. 2023
  • But, more than the horse race, there was the prospect of witnessing a new phase for the central political figure of our time.
    Benjamin Wallace-Wells, The New Yorker, 25 Sep. 2023
  • To witness brutality is to sustain psychic damage: What the eye sees, the brain records and cannot erase.
    Corinne Dufka, The Atlantic, 11 Dec. 2023
  • Teenage children of Williams witnessed parts of the violence, according to the news release.
    Noelle Alviz-Gransee, Kansas City Star, 26 Feb. 2024
  • Viewers at home witnessed it all in real time as a stream on YouTube glitched and restarted numerous times in the lead-up to the broadcast.
    Steven J. Horowitz, Variety, 12 Dec. 2023
  • Willis was the only person to witness the shooting, Bell said, according to the complaint.
    Tess Williams, Anchorage Daily News, 14 Mar. 2023
  • As a very young child, Anthony witnessed a German air raid on a nearby city.
    Clay Risen, New York Times, 29 Oct. 2023
  • During that time, Kim said her father brought her and one of her sisters to school to witness the trial, without telling Kris.
    Abbey White, The Hollywood Reporter, 14 Nov. 2023
  • If Butler does run—and win—her daughter will get a second chance to witness her mother’s swearing in.
    Claire Zillman, Fortune, 10 Oct. 2023
  • People near the path—but not exactly beneath it—can still witness a partial ring of fire.
    Ramin Skibba, WIRED, 13 Oct. 2023
  • His only regret is that his brother isn’t here to witness his success.
    Mike Digiovanna, Los Angeles Times, 24 Mar. 2023
  • The Royals witnessed the aftermath of the Chiefs rally shooting in real time.
    Jaylon Thompson, Kansas City Star, 15 Feb. 2024
  • With the wider rollout now taking place, be ready to witness a bonanza of data science adoption across the board.
    Lance Eliot, Forbes, 17 July 2023
  • Monday’s eclipse was a rare, momentous occasion that brought thousands outside, some venturing around the country to witness the event.
    Ethan Millman, Rolling Stone, 12 Apr. 2024
  • Taking place in a spartan courtroom no larger than the size of a basketball court, the trial will be witnessed in person by approximately 60 reporters.
    Peter Charalambous, ABC News, 13 Apr. 2024

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'witness.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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