witch

1 of 2

noun

ˈwich 

plural witches

1

in fiction and folk traditions

a

: a person (especially a woman) who is credited with having usually malignant supernatural powers

The modern visual image of the "folklore" witch, made popular by the film representation of the Wicked Witch of the West in The Wizard of Oz (1939), is an old hag with a hooked nose and a mole, wearing a pointed hat and flowing robes, and flying on a broomstick.

—Donald Haase

Once upon a time the horror story was content to deal with things that go shriek in the night, with mad scientists, leering zombies, monsters, ghosts, witches, vampires and damsels in distress.

—Eliot Fremont-Smith

Fairy tale witches (not to be confused with our chic Wicca sisters) are rude, with a tendency to cackle at the misfortunes of others.

—The New York Times Book Review

… many Russian fairy tales tell of Baba Yaga, an old witch who flies around in a pestle and mortar and lives in a house that walks around on chicken legs.

—Molly Barker

b

: a woman who is believed to practice usually black (see black entry 1 sense 7) magic often with the aid of a devil or familiar : sorceress

Note: This meaning of witch is commonly encountered in contexts relating to historical Christian religious beliefs about witches and witchcraft.

Belief in the Devil was very strong in the medieval Church and witchcraft was regarded as heresy. Suspected witches were subjected to the Inquisition.

—Eileen Rennison

My interest centers on the religious reasons for the persecution of women as witches in early America.

—Elizabeth Reis

But a common charge against [17th-century] English witches, though much less often raised against their Continental counterparts, was that they kept 'familiars'—imps or demons in the form usually of small animals such as dogs, cats and toads …

—Geoffrey Scarre

compare warlock

2

or less commonly Witch : a practitioner of witchcraft (see witchcraft sense 3) especially in adherence with a neo-pagan tradition or religion (such as Wicca)

While modern witches do believe in the ability to harness the forces of nature, Wicca has nothing to do with Satan, or evil spells.

—Larry Potash

Being a witch … in the world today can entail anything from being a practitioner of Wicca, a religion founded in the 20th century, to practicing any number of neo-pagan traditions. Not all self-identified witches are Wiccan, and not all Pagans would describe themselves as witches.

—Antonia Blumberg

It has nothing to do with satanism, warts or hexes. I know, because I am a Wiccan priestess—a real Witch, not the fairy-tale stereotype.

—Sue McCaskill

It [The World of Witches Museum] is in fact a celebration of Witches, Wiccans and Pagans.

—PRWeb.com

3

: a mean or ugly old woman : hag, crone

"You old witch," she sputtered. "You always hated me, you did …"

—Katherine Stanley

She has a wrinkled-up and wizened personage—she must have been eighty—and as she mumbled the grim story through her toothless gums, she seemed a very old witch to them.

—Upton Sinclair

4

: a charming or alluring girl or woman

[Sharon] Stone makes a captivating California witch who ranges exquisitely from tragic temptress to (possibly) manipulative murderess.

—Mark Goodman

5

: witch of agnesi

witchlike

ˈwich-ˌlīk 

adjective

witchy

ˈwi-chē 

adjective

witch

2 of 2

verb

witched; witching; witches

transitive verb

1

: to affect injuriously with witchcraft

2

archaic : to influence or beguile with allure or charm

intransitive verb

: dowse

Synonyms

Noun

• enchantress
• hag
• hex
• sorceress

Verb

• allure
• beguile
• bewitch
• captivate
• charm
• enchant
• fascinate
• kill
• magnetize
• wile

Examples of witch in a Sentence

Noun

an herbalist and self-proclaimed witch

Her mother-in-law is a bitter old witch.

Verb

the woman did witch me with her gentle smile

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Afraid of evil spirits, the Celts would light up bonfires by the hilltops, and wear masks to hide their identity from the ghosts; this is how this holiday began to be associated with figures such as witches and goblins. —Marco Rubio, Newsweek, 1 Nov. 2024

Based on the 1995 Gregory Maguire novel of the same name and with music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz, the Wizard of Oz prequel musical traces the two witches' paths from students at Shiz University to Elphaba becoming the Wicked Witch of the West. —Lauren Huff, EW.com, 1 Nov. 2024

Verb

Need a diversion from packing up the skeletons, bats and witches hats? —Andrew Torgan, CNN, 3 Nov. 2024

Indeed, Agatha and Nicholas’ tune appears to have taken on a life of its own, and now witches everywhere actually believe the Road exists. —Rebecca Iannucci, TVLine, 30 Oct. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English wicche, from Old English wicca, masculine, wizard & wicce, feminine, witch; akin to Middle High German wicken to bewitch, Old English wigle divination, and perhaps to Old High German wīh holy — more at victim

First Known Use

Noun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Phrases Containing witch

• water witch
• witch doctor
• witch hazel
• witch hunt
• witch of Agnesi

Kids Definition

witch

noun

ˈwich

1

: a person believed to have magic powers

2

: a mean or ugly old woman