bystander

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

When his children, Pista and Eva, take part in the failed 1956 revolution against the Soviet-backed government, Lajos is mostly an exhausted bystander.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 8, 2026

"My big issue was what I called 'the bystander effect', which I've direct evidence of," she said.

From BBC • Mar. 29, 2026

And, finally, your brother-in-law is not an objective bystander.

From MarketWatch • Feb. 8, 2026

“We’re with you!” a bystander can be heard telling her in the video as others blow emergency whistles.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 2, 2026

And it made me feel better in some obscure way: imagining myself a hero, rushing fearlessly for the gun, instead of merely loitering in the bullet’s path like the bystander which I so essentially am.

From "The Secret History" by Donna Tartt