witness

wit|ness1 [ `wıtnəs ] noun **

1. ) count someone who sees a crime, accident, or other event happen:

Witnesses reported hearing two gunshots.

witness to: Any witnesses to the incident are asked to contact Berkeley police.

a ) someone who tells a court what they know about a crime:

More than twenty witnesses will be called.

an expert witness for the defense/prosecution

2. ) count someone who watches you sign an official document and then signs it to state that they have watched you

3. ) count someone who speaks about their strong Christian beliefs

a ) count or uncount a public statement that someone makes about their strong Christian beliefs

be witness to something FORMAL

to see something happen:

We were witness to the worst period in the team's history.

bear witness to something FORMAL

to show that something exists or existed:

Bristol's grand buildings bear witness to the city's magnificent past.

witness

wit|ness 2 [ `wıtnəs ] verb **

1. ) transitive to see something happen, for example a crime or an accident:

Several journalists witnessed the incident in which eight people were injured.

Ambulance crews witness scenes like these every day.

a ) to be present when something important happens:

What we are witnessing is a party running out of ideas.

b ) used for saying that something happened at a particular time or in a particular place:

The 1980s witnessed enormous growth in the financial sector.

2. ) transitive to watch someone sign an official document, and then sign it yourself to state that you have watched them:

Could you witness my signature on this visa application?

3. ) intransitive to tell people about your strong Christian beliefs

4. ) transitive used before you give an example that proves what you have just said:

He was as much a journalist as a storyteller: witness the fact that many of his concerns are still relevant today.

be witnessed by something

to be the evidence that something is true:

In the past the sea level was much higher, as is witnessed by remnants of raised beaches.

`witness to phrasal verb transitive LEGAL

to formally state that something is true, especially in a court of law:

Are you prepared to witness to the honesty of your informant?