eyewitness

Everyday

1. An eyewitness is a person who saw something happen with their own eyes, like an accident or crime. tree →
2. An eyewitness account is a report by someone who was there. tree →

In the lessons

History lessons (eyewitness accounts as primary sources), news reports, crime stories, and science of memory (eyewitnesses can remember wrongly). Phrases: eyewitness account, according to eyewitnesses.

Examples

• An eyewitness saw the car go through the red light. tree →
• We read an eyewitness account of the Great Fire of London. tree →
• Eyewitnesses said the dog ran into the shop. tree →
• The police asked for eyewitnesses to come forward. tree →
• Samuel Pepys wrote as an eyewitness to the fire. tree →
• Even honest eyewitnesses can make mistakes. tree →

Note

Plural eyewitnesses. Eyewitness evidence is a primary source but not always reliable: memory changes, and people see from one angle. Compare several accounts.