eyewitness

Elementary (A2)

IPA: /ˈaɪˌwɪtnəs/

KK: /ˈaɪˌwɪtnəs/

noun

Definition

A person who has seen an event or situation and can provide a description of what happened.

Example

The eyewitness testified in court about what he saw during the accident.

Conversation

Did you hear about the accident on Main Street yesterday?

Yeah, I heard it was pretty bad. Was there an eyewitness?

I think there was someone who saw it happen and talked to the police.

That's good, eyewitness accounts can really help clarify what happened.

Synonyms & Antonyms

Synonyms

witness

observer

bystander

Antonyms

unwitnessed

ignorant

unobserved

Root Explanation

Eyewitness → It is formed from "eye" (from Old English "ēage", meaning the organ of sight) and "witness" (from Old English "witan", meaning to know or to see). An eyewitness is someone who has seen an event with their own eyes and can testify to it.

Memory Tip

Think of someone who has 'seen' something with their own 'eyes' — that's why an eyewitness is a person who directly observes an event.

Visually Confused Words