witch
Pluralwitches
Pluralwitches
Formswitches, witching, witched
- 1A person, usually a woman, who uses magic to make things happen or to tell the future.
In the story, a witch turns the prince into a frog.
The villagers believed the witch could make it rain.
UsageA man is often called a warlock.
Similarsorceress, enchantress, sorcerer
Note
- 2
- 3
Less common meanings
- 4A person, often a woman or child, who likes to play tricks and cause trouble.
"You little witch!" Grandpa laughed when she hid his glasses.
Grandpa laughed and called my sister a little witch for hiding his glasses.
UsageYou can say you little witch! as a joke, but it can sound insulting.
- 5A person who is so charming that others are drawn to them almost like magic.
She was a little witch who could make anyone fall for her.
One smile from that charming witch, and he forgot why he was angry.
UsageMake it clear that you mean praise, because witch can also be an insult.
Similarenchantress, siren, charmer, temptress
- 6To look for water under the ground by walking with a special stick.
Grandpa used to witch for water with a stick from the peach tree.
A man came out and witched for a new well behind the barn.
UsageSay witch for water.
Similardowse
Note
- 7To put a magic spell on someone or something.
Note
- 8In math, a certain kind of curve that Maria Agnesi wrote about and called versiera.
- 9A flat sea fish found in the North Atlantic Ocean, also called the witch flounder.
- 10A flat sea fish of the North Atlantic, also called the megrim.
- 11A small seabird called a storm petrel.
- 12A flat sea fish found in the waters near New Zealand.
- 13A kind of butterfly found in South and Southeast Asia.
- 14A paper cone stood in a pot of fat and burned like a thin candle.
Showing meanings only.
Practice
Can you tell the meanings of witch apart? Answer 3 quick questions from this page, or write your own sentence and AI will check it.
Origins
From Old English wiċċe (a female witch) and wiċċa (a male witch). These are linked to the verb wiċċian, "to practice sorcery," though which came first is uncertain.
Checked 1 Nov 2026 · 3 facts
- Witch derives from Old English wiċċe and wiċċa, respectively feminine and masculine forms. en.wikipedia.org
- Wiċċian means to practise sorcery. en.wiktionary.org
- The nouns and verb are related, but the direction of derivation is uncertain. en.wiktionary.org
From Old English wiċċian. Its later meanings probably come from bewitch, with the first part dropped.
Checked 1 Nov 2026 · 2 facts
- The verb witch descends from Old English wiċċian. en.wiktionary.org
- Its later meanings probably developed from bewitch by dropping the beginning. en.wiktionary.org