bystander

noun

by·​stand·​er ˈbī-ˌstan-dər How to pronounce bystander (audio)
: one who is present but not taking part in a situation or event : a chance spectator
innocent bystanders who were injured in the shooting

Examples of bystander in a Sentence

Two innocent bystanders were injured in the shooting. bystanders rushed to help the victim of the mugging
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
For over an hour Monday morning, two men were stranded on a small island on the White River until a bystander heard their cries and called 911, ultimately leading to their safe rescue by the Indianapolis Fire Department. Noe Padilla, The Indianapolis Star, 9 Dec. 2024 Day 2 The jury asked to see key videos shown during the trial -- police body camera footage, Penny's interrogation video and a bystander's video on Wednesday. Aaron Katersky, ABC News, 9 Dec. 2024 Advertisement Jurors watched videos recorded by bystanders and by police body cameras and saw how Penny explained his actions to officers on the scene and later in a station house interview room. Jennifer Peltz, Los Angeles Times, 2 Dec. 2024 The racing establishment of this era resisted self-reform, and only got serious about redefining safety standards following crashes in which innocent bystanders were killed and public outrage ensued. Seyward Darby, Longreads, 20 Nov. 2024 See all Example Sentences for bystander 

Word History

First Known Use

1584, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of bystander was in 1584

Dictionary Entries Near bystander

Cite this Entry

“Bystander.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bystander. Accessed 24 Dec. 2024.

Kids Definition

bystander

noun
by·​stand·​er -ˌstan-dər How to pronounce bystander (audio)
: a person standing near but taking no part in what is happening

More from Merriam-Webster on bystander

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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