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Glite Dictionary
witness box

witness box

4 4.2
An enclosed area in a courtroom where a person sits to tell the judge or jury what they saw
  • noun
  • /ˈwɪtnəs bɑks/
  • UK
: estrado
  • A deputy sheriff who acted as the judge's bailiff came over to the witness box, turned the microphone off, and adjusted its location.
  • step into the witness box

The feds may have done it is because they don't want to put Virginia Robert Schufrey in the witness box lest she get something wrong.

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Examples

  • Approach the witness box.

    Shakedown (1988)

  • Members of the jury, by law, you have to be able to see the witness box.

    Find Me Guilty (2006)

  • Why did you speak up for him in the witness box?

    3 Lives (2019)

  • - Can you all see the witness box?

    Find Me Guilty (2006)

  • Will you go back to the witness box?

    Witness for the Prosecution (1957)

  • The woman sitting in the witness box was presented with the printed page and asked to read it aloud.

    YaleCourses

  • You're aware that when you're in the witness box you will be sworn - and you will testify under oath?

    Witness for the Prosecution (1957)

  • The lawyer asked the witness to stand in the witness box and share her testimony.

  • During the trial, the judge reminded the jury to focus on the evidence presented from the witness box.

  • As he entered the courtroom, he felt nervous about speaking in the witness box.

Synonyms

witness stand
vswitness box
  • US
46 3.9

A raised place in a courtroom where a person tells what they saw

means the same thing but uses an alternative common wording

Surface Forms

witness box singular
witness boxes plural

Morphology

witness + box

The meaning 'an enclosed area in a courtroom where a witness sits or stands' is directly and compositionally derived from 'witness' (person who testifies) + 'box' (an enclosed small area); the noun+noun construction transparently denotes the box associated with the witness. The figurative use of 'box' for a small enclosed space is common and cross-linguistically accessible, so a B1 learner who knows both words would readily infer the meaning.

Etymology

Witness box comes from courts where the witness (the person who saw something) sat or stood inside a small box or enclosed stand so everyone could hear their story. So today it means 'an enclosed area in a courtroom where a witness gives evidence'.