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 Gress and another bystander called emergency services for the man who appeared to be experiencing an opioid overdose. The Arizona Republic, 16 Mar. 2024 Among other characters accounted for in a large cast of heroes and villains and bystanders are Joseph Holt, judge advocate of the U.S. Army, charmingly played by John Billingsley, and Patton Oswalt as Det. Robert Lloyd, Los Angeles Times, 14 Mar. 2024 The man’s wife and bystanders pulled him from the water and began CPR. Tanasia Kenney, Miami Herald, 7 Mar. 2024 While Boyer was out of jail on bail awaiting trial, bystander video surfaced in 2021 of a man putting a duck in a bag at a Clairemont pond, shoving it into his backpack and riding away on a bicycle. Teri Figueroa, San Diego Union-Tribune, 1 Mar. 2024 Forty percent of chases resulted in a collision and 1 in 6 chases resulted in an injury to a suspect driver, police officer, or bystander, according to the California Highway Patrol. Calmatters, The Mercury News, 27 Feb. 2024 If a bystander does not witness a seizure, but instead finds someone unresponsive or minimally responsive, call 911. Jacob Pellinen, Discover Magazine, 24 Feb. 2024 The police department released video of the altercation on Facebook on Tuesday, which was captured by one of the bystanders. Greg Wehner, Fox News, 5 Mar. 2024 Investigators determined the North Kansas City High School student injured in a shooting at the school’s campus Saturday was an innocent bystander, officials said Monday. Nathan Pilling, Kansas City Star, 4 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'bystander.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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 29 Mar. 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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