witch

[ wich ]
See synonyms for witch on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. a person, especially a woman, who professes or is supposed to practice magic or sorcery; a sorceress: This novel was about a meek businessman marrying a beautiful witch who uses her magic to help him succeed in business.: Compare warlock.

  2. a woman who is supposed to have evil or wicked magical powers: The movie features stereotypical witches in black robes and pointed hats.

  1. a person who practices magic as a spiritual observance, especially as associated with neopaganism or Wicca: She became a witch after an interest in tarot and astrology led her to classes at a local mystic shop.

  2. an ugly or mean old woman; hag: She was constantly in conflict with the old witch who used to own the building.

  3. a person who uses a divining rod; dowser: They hired a water witch to find the best location for the new well.

verb (used with object)
  1. to bring or cause by or as if by witchcraft (often followed by into, to, etc.): She witched him into going.

  2. Archaic. to affect as if by witchcraft; bewitch; charm.

verb (used without object)
  1. to prospect with a divining rod; dowse: She witches for water, oil, and minerals, but won't take money for her services.

adjective
  1. of, relating to, or designed as protection against witches: Bad weather, decreased income, and weak government may have contributed to the witch trial period in Europe.A witch bottle contained a number of different objects and ingredients to make up a defensive spell.

Origin of witch

1
First recorded before 900; Middle English wicche, Old English wicce, feminine of wicca “wizard”; cf. wicked

Other words from witch

  • witch·hood, noun
  • witch·like, adjective
  • un·der·witch, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use witch in a sentence

  • They used to believe in witchcraft, and they burned millions—yes, millions—of innocent women as witches.

    God and my Neighbour | Robert Blatchford
  • Jim was most ruined for a servant, because he got stuck up on account of having seen the devil and been rode by witches.

    Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Complete | Mark Twain (Samuel Clemens)
  • Rene, the perfumer, is kept under guard in his own house by Solern's equerry, and so are the two witches.

    Catherine de' Medici | Honore de Balzac
  • We are far from knowing just what happens when we pour acids and alkalies and foods into this witches' cauldron of blood.

    The Treatment of Hay Fever | George Frederick Laidlaw
  • All women affected by the belief in witches and in the uncleanness of woman.

    Taboo and Genetics | Melvin Moses Knight, Iva Lowther Peters, and Phyllis Mary Blanchard

British Dictionary definitions for witch (1 of 3)

witch1

/ (wɪtʃ) /


noun
  1. historically, in mythology and fiction, a woman believed to practise magic or sorcery, esp black magic

  2. a practitioner of a Nature-based religion founded on ancient beliefs, which honours both a male and female divine principle and includes the practice of magic, esp healing magic, and divination

  1. informal, derogatory an ugly or wicked woman

  2. a fascinating or enchanting woman

  3. short for water witch

verb
  1. (tr) to cause or change by or as if by witchcraft

  2. a less common word for bewitch

Origin of witch

1
Old English wicca; related to Middle Low German wicken to conjure, Swedish vicka to move to and fro

Derived forms of witch

  • witchlike, adjective

British Dictionary definitions for witch (2 of 3)

witch2

/ (wɪtʃ) /


noun
  1. a flatfish, Pleuronectes (or Glyptocephalus) cynoglossus, of N Atlantic coastal waters, having a narrow greyish-brown body marked with tiny black spots: family Pleuronectidae (plaice, flounders, etc)

Origin of witch

2
C19: perhaps from witch 1, alluding to the appearance of the fish

British Dictionary definitions for witch- (3 of 3)

witch-

prefix
  1. having pliant branches: witchweed

Origin of witch-

3
Old English wice and wic; probably from Germanic wik- bend

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012