Bystander Meaning
/ˈbaɪˌstænd.ə(ɹ)/Definition, CEFR level C1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
nounA person who, although present at some event, does not take part in it; an observer, witness, or spectator.
Sentence Examples
A bystander videotaped the police beating using their cell phone.
I'm just an innocent bystander.
CEFR Practice Quiz
A ____ watching the fight called the police immediately.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
An innocent ____ was injured during the sudden fight in the street.
Word Origin & History
From by- + stander. Compare passerby.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"If he wins, he will be at liberty, perhaps, to give vent to a laugh, or to pass a remark on the circumstance to a bystander, or to stake again, or to double his stake; but, even this he must do solely out of curiosity, and for the pleasure of watching the play of chances and of calculations, and not because of any vulgar desire to win."
— 1867, Fyodor Dostoyevsky, chapter II, in The Gambler, translated by C. J. Hogarth^(https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/The_Gambler_(1867)/II):
"Conservative influencer Nick Sortor is handcuffed Thursday night by a police officer outside an ICE facility in Portland, Oregon, a bystander video shows; the video does not show events leading up to the arrest."
— 2025 October 3, Andy Rose, “Arrest of conservative influencer Nick Sortor outside Portland ICE building now under federal investigation”, in CNN:
Explore More C1 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
A ____ watching the fight called the police immediately.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
An innocent ____ was injured during the sudden fight in the street.