English主要词典
witness
Universal Words
noun, verb
noun
person who sees sth
1 (also eyewitness) [C] a person who sees sth happen and is able to describe it to other people:
Police have appealed for witnesses to the accident. * We have a witness to the killing.
in court of law
2 [C] a person who gives evidence in a court of law:
a defence / prosecution witness * to appear as (a) witness for the defence / prosecution * Several witnesses testified that there had been two gunmen.
of signature
3 [C] a person who is present when an official document is signed and who also signs it to prove that they saw this happen
of religious beliefs
4 [U] evidence of a person's strong religious beliefs, that they show by what they say and do in public
seealsoJEHOVAH'SWITNESS
IDIOMS
be (a) witness to sth
1 (formal) to see sth take place:
He has been witness to a terrible murder.
2 (written) to show that sth is true; to provide evidence for sth:
His good health is a witness to the success of the treatment.
bear / give witness (to sth) to provide evidence of the truth of sth:
The crowd of mourners at his funeral bore witness to the great affection in which he was held.
verb
see sth
1 [VN] to see sth happen because you are there when it happens:
She was shocked by the violent scenes she had witnessed. * Police have appealed for anyone who witnessed the incident to contact them. * The novel is based on an event that he himself had witnessed. * I couldn't bear to witness their suffering. * We are now witnessing an unprecedented increase in violent crime. * We had witnessed one of the most outstanding theatrical performances of the decade.
of time / place
2 [VN] to be the place, period, organization, etc. in which particular events take place:
Recent years have witnessed a growing social mobility. * The retail trade is witnessing a sharp fall in sales. * Europe witnessed massive political change in the late 1980s.
signature
3 [VN] to be present when an official document is signed and sign it yourself to prove that you saw this happen:
to witness a signature * The document was witnessed by a lawyer.
be sign / proof
4 [VN] [usuallypassive] to be a sign or proof of sth:
There has been increasing interest in her life and work, as witnessed by the publication of two new biographies.
5 [VN] (formal) used in orders when giving an example that proves sth you have just said:
Authentic Italian cooking is very healthy-witness the low incidence of heart disease in Italy.
in court of law
6 [V] ~ (to sth) (law or formal) to give evidence about sth in a court of law
to religious beliefs
7 [V] ~ (to sth) (especially AmE) to speak to people about your strong religious beliefs
