witch

UK: /ˈwɪtʃ/ US: /wɪtʃ/ ,(wich)

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026

witch /wɪtʃ/   n. [countable]

1. Anthropology
   • a person who is believed to practice magic, esp. black magic.
2. an ugly or nasty woman.

witch•y, adj., -i•er, -i•est. 

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026

witch  (wich), n. 

1. Anthropology a person, now esp. a woman, who professes or is supposed to practice magic, esp. black magic or the black art;
   sorceress. Cf. warlock. 
2. an ugly or mean old woman;
   hag:
   the old witch who used to own this building.
3. a person who uses a divining rod;
   dowser.

v.t. 

4. to bring by or as by witchcraft (often fol. by into, to, etc.):
   She witched him into going.
5. [Archaic.] to affect as if by witchcraft;
   bewitch;
   charm.

v.i. 

6. to prospect with a divining rod;
   dowse.

adj. 

7. of, pertaining to, or designed as protection against witches.

• bef. 900; Middle English wicche, Old English wicce (feminine; compare wicca(masculine) wizard; see wicked)

witch′hood, n. 
witch′like′, adj. 

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

witch / wɪtʃ/ noun

1. historically, in mythology and fiction, a woman believed to practise magic or sorcery, esp black magic
2. an ugly or wicked woman
3. a fascinating or enchanting woman

verb

1. a less common word for bewitch

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

ˈwitchˌlike adjective

witch / 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)

Etymology: 19th Century: perhaps from witch¹, alluding to the appearance of the fish