Definition

Noun: 1. A person who deliberately gives false testimony: A "false witness" is an individual who intentionally provides untrue statements or evidence, especially in a legal or formal setting like a court of law. This term strongly implies an act of deception with serious consequences.

Examples of Usage

• The defense attorney proved the key informant was a false witness who had been paid to lie.
• Bearing false witness against your neighbor is considered a serious moral and legal transgression.
• The investigation was misled for months by a false witness who fabricated the entire story.

Advanced Usage

• "To bear false witness": This is a formal and often legal or religious phrase meaning to give false testimony or to lie under oath. It is commonly associated with the Ninth Commandment in the Bible: "Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour."
  • The scandal involved several officials who were accused of bearing false witness during the inquiry.

Variants and Related Words

• Perjurer (noun): A more specific legal term for someone who lies under oath in a court of law. (A may become a if they lie under oath).
• Perjury (noun): The offense of willfully telling an untruth in a court after having taken an oath or affirmation.

Synonyms

• Liar: A person who tells lies. (This is a more general term, while is specific to formal testimony).
• Fabricator: A person who invents or concocts stories or facts.
• Deceiver: A person who causes someone to believe something that is not true.

Related Phrases

• Give false testimony/evidence: The act performed by a false witness.
  • He was charged with giving false testimony to the grand jury.

Related Idioms

• To lie through one's teeth: To tell a blatant and obvious lie. This idiom emphasizes the brazen nature of the falsehood, similar to the deliberate act of a false witness.
  • The suspect was lying through his teeth, but the evidence exposed him as a false witness.

Noun

1. a person who deliberately gives false testimony