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Meaning & use

false witness

noun·Advancedformallegal

Last updated

UK/ˌfɔːls ˈwɪtnəs/
US/ˌfɔːls ˈwɪtnəs/

Meanings

  1. nouncountable

    A person who knowingly tells lies about something they saw or know, especially when giving evidence.

    Grammar: A person; has a plural: the trial exposed several false witnesses.

    Patterns

    • a false witness against someone

    The defense argued that the man was a false witness who had never been at the scene.

    Prosecutors charged the false witness with perjury.

    The story tells of a village ruined by a false witness.

  2. noununcountablereligion

    A lie told knowingly about another person, especially under oath or in a serious setting.

    Grammar: Mostly used in the phrase 'bear false witness': to lie about someone.

    Patterns

    • bear false witness against someone

    Bearing false witness against a neighbor is considered a serious wrong in many religions.

    The judge warned that false witness would be punished.

    Her speech condemned false witness in the press.

Word forms

pluralfalse witnesses

Common combinations

bear false witness
He refused to bear false witness against his friend.
bear false witness against
The article accused the rival of bearing false witness against the mayor.
give false witness
She was jailed for giving false witness in court.
a false witness
A false witness can ruin an innocent person's life.
charged with false witness
He was charged with false witness after the trial.

Synonyms and how they differ

perjurer
A perjurer is someone who lies after taking an oath in court, so perjurer is narrower than false witness.
liar
Liar is everyday and covers any lying, while false witness is formal and tied to evidence or testimony.
perjury
Perjury names the legal crime of lying under oath, while false witness may also mean the person or the lie.
slander
Slander is spoken damage to a reputation and need not happen in court, unlike false witness.

Opposites

truthful witness

Word family

witness noun
a person who sees an event or gives evidence
witness verb
to see something happen
false adjective
not true
falsehood noun
a lie or untruth
perjury noun
the crime of lying under oath

Commonly confused: false witness or eyewitness?

false witness vs eyewitness

An eyewitness is someone who saw the event directly and may be honest or not; a false witness is one who lies, whether or not they saw anything.

Practice

What does it mean to 'bear false witness'?

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