Bystander
noun
A person who is present at an event or incident but doesn't participate in it.
The police asked the bystanders if they had seen what happened.
Often appears as...
- innocent bystander
- bystander effect
noun
A person who is not directly involved but could be affected by the action of others.
In the fight, a bystander was accidentally injured.
Often appears as...
- bystander intervention
- unintended bystander
noun
A person who is present at an event or incident but doesn't participate in it.
The police asked the bystanders if they had seen what happened.
Often appears as...
- innocent bystander
- bystander effect
noun
A person who is not directly involved but could be affected by the action of others.
In the fight, a bystander was accidentally injured.
Often appears as...
- bystander intervention
- unintended bystander
Definition 1 of 2
Pro Tip 1/3Witness Role
Bystanders may witness events without taking part, often providing useful information.
As a bystander, she could recount the accident details to police.
Pro Tip 2/3Non-Participant
Being a bystander means you're there but not engaging in the main event.
He stood as a bystander at the rally, watching without waving any banners.
Pro Tip 3/3Emergency Situations
In emergencies, bystanders can be critical by calling for help or providing aid.
The bystander quickly called an ambulance after witnessing the collapse.
Compare with
beholdlookobserveronlookerspectatorviewerwatchwitness
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Video examples
Jackson Katz: Violence...
in our families and our friendship circles and every other way. So there's so many reasons why we need men to speak out. It seems obvious saying it out loud, doesn't it? Now, the nature of the work that I do and my colleagues do in the sports culture and the US military, in schools, we pioneered this approach called the bystander approach
Video examples
Stop being a bystander...
What happens if I fall over the side? Stop being a bystander in your own life, stop looking at what you're doing and start taking part." This day, for me, was the day that my whole life started. I learned to navigate in two days -- and this is someone who hates numbers and sees them as hieroglyphics.
Video examples
The family structure of...
And then, of course, we have the bystander. And how do you get these three different characters within the family? It's kind of fascinating to think that elephants really are just like us. And so I got curious about this and I thought, "Well, what if you measure
Video examples
Del Harvey: The...
engaging in that kind of behavior. So why are the stakes higher for this? Well, this could also be a bystander at a rally who managed to record a video of a police officer beating a non-violent protester who's trying to let the world know what's happening.
Video examples
Samantha Power: Shaking...
as something that will create the impression that there will be political cost, there will be a political price to be paid, for allowing genocide, for not having an heroic imagination, for not being an upstander but for being, in fact, a bystander.
Video examples
The price of shame PIPE...
says that even in small numbers, when there's consistency over time, change can happen. In the online world, we can foster minority influence by becoming upstanders. To become an upstander means instead of bystander apathy,
Video examples
Bullying must end now PIPE...
going to make a decision will I be a perpetrator a bystander or someone who's part of the solution and each time you make that decision and whichever role you will play you're exercising a muscle and like any muscle
Video examples
How we can end sexual...
to bystanders in the workplace regarding sexual harassment -- to recognize and interrupt these incidences; to confront the perpetrators to their face; to help and protect the victims. This is my shout-out to
Video examples
In the Mouth of a Polar...
now her left thigh is being skewered by the Bears Massud canines with handlers minutes away bystanders ripoff tree branches and try to save the helpless woman now grab a branch and take the place of a
Video examples
Marc Abrahams: A science...
that in an emergency can be quickly separated into a pair of protective face masks. One to save your life, one to save the life of some lucky bystander.
Video examples
Jackson Katz: Violence...
in our families and our friendship circles and every other way. So there's so many reasons why we need men to speak out. It seems obvious saying it out loud, doesn't it? Now, the nature of the work that I do and my colleagues do in the sports culture and the US military, in schools, we pioneered this approach called the bystander approach
Video examples
Stop being a bystander...
What happens if I fall over the side? Stop being a bystander in your own life, stop looking at what you're doing and start taking part." This day, for me, was the day that my whole life started. I learned to navigate in two days -- and this is someone who hates numbers and sees them as hieroglyphics.
Video examples
The family structure of...
And then, of course, we have the bystander. And how do you get these three different characters within the family? It's kind of fascinating to think that elephants really are just like us. And so I got curious about this and I thought, "Well, what if you measure
Video examples
Del Harvey: The...
engaging in that kind of behavior. So why are the stakes higher for this? Well, this could also be a bystander at a rally who managed to record a video of a police officer beating a non-violent protester who's trying to let the world know what's happening.
Video examples
Samantha Power: Shaking...
as something that will create the impression that there will be political cost, there will be a political price to be paid, for allowing genocide, for not having an heroic imagination, for not being an upstander but for being, in fact, a bystander.
Video examples
The price of shame PIPE...
says that even in small numbers, when there's consistency over time, change can happen. In the online world, we can foster minority influence by becoming upstanders. To become an upstander means instead of bystander apathy,
Video examples
Bullying must end now PIPE...
going to make a decision will I be a perpetrator a bystander or someone who's part of the solution and each time you make that decision and whichever role you will play you're exercising a muscle and like any muscle
Video examples
How we can end sexual...
to bystanders in the workplace regarding sexual harassment -- to recognize and interrupt these incidences; to confront the perpetrators to their face; to help and protect the victims. This is my shout-out to
Video examples
In the Mouth of a Polar...
now her left thigh is being skewered by the Bears Massud canines with handlers minutes away bystanders ripoff tree branches and try to save the helpless woman now grab a branch and take the place of a
Video examples
Marc Abrahams: A science...
that in an emergency can be quickly separated into a pair of protective face masks. One to save your life, one to save the life of some lucky bystander.
Example 1 of 10
Quote examples
Jeffrey Kluger
American Writer
What people fear most about tragedy is its randomness - a taxi cab jumps the curb and hits a pedestrian, a gun misfires and kills a bystander. Better to have some rational cause and effect between incident and injury. And if cause and effect aren't possible, better that there at least be some reward for all the suffering.
Quote examples
Lecrae
American Musician
America has this fascination with glorifying the villain and not talking about the trials and tribulations. We tell the story of the successful villain a lot of times, but we don't tell the story of the people who don't come out so successful, and we don't tell the story of all the bystanders of that choice.
Quote examples
Natasha Rothwell
American Actress
When I was a teacher, I definitely noticed bullying happening, and I noticed people choosing to be quiet when they should speak up. And so for me, as a teacher, it wasn't just about advocating for students who were being picked on but trying to teach the bystanders how to speak up and not be afraid.
Quote examples
Jennifer Yuh Nelson
South Korean Director
You have to figure out how you can step forward and affect your own life. I think that sense of empowerment is actually really positive, specifically for the young generation because they've been bystanders in their own lives for a while.
Quote examples
Jhumpa Lahiri
American Author
I've never had Internet access. Actually, I have looked at things on other people's computers as a bystander. A few times in my life I've opened email accounts, twice actually, but it's something I don't want in my life right now.
Quote examples
Elliot Cowan
English Actor
I didn't want to get into acting just to play bystanders. I feel a bystander enough in my own life. And I do think that theatre can contribute to a certain analysis and commentary on our own world.
Quote examples
Jane Curtin
American Actress
New York is a wonderful place to shoot. The bystanders are great. They are enthusiastic. They respect the process, and you get the energy of the city.
Quote examples
Ted Wheeler
American Politician
My job is to protect the safety of everyone... protesters, counter-protesters, and bystanders alike.
Quote examples
Hugh Mackay
Australian Scientist
Recounting their histories, people often sound like interested bystanders to their own lives.
Quote examples
Howard Schultz
American Businessman
Business leaders cannot be bystanders.
Quote examples
Jeffrey Kluger
American Writer
What people fear most about tragedy is its randomness - a taxi cab jumps the curb and hits a pedestrian, a gun misfires and kills a bystander. Better to have some rational cause and effect between incident and injury. And if cause and effect aren't possible, better that there at least be some reward for all the suffering.
Quote examples
Lecrae
American Musician
America has this fascination with glorifying the villain and not talking about the trials and tribulations. We tell the story of the successful villain a lot of times, but we don't tell the story of the people who don't come out so successful, and we don't tell the story of all the bystanders of that choice.
Quote examples
Natasha Rothwell
American Actress
When I was a teacher, I definitely noticed bullying happening, and I noticed people choosing to be quiet when they should speak up. And so for me, as a teacher, it wasn't just about advocating for students who were being picked on but trying to teach the bystanders how to speak up and not be afraid.
Quote examples
Jennifer Yuh Nelson
South Korean Director
You have to figure out how you can step forward and affect your own life. I think that sense of empowerment is actually really positive, specifically for the young generation because they've been bystanders in their own lives for a while.
Quote examples
Jhumpa Lahiri
American Author
I've never had Internet access. Actually, I have looked at things on other people's computers as a bystander. A few times in my life I've opened email accounts, twice actually, but it's something I don't want in my life right now.
Quote examples
Elliot Cowan
English Actor
I didn't want to get into acting just to play bystanders. I feel a bystander enough in my own life. And I do think that theatre can contribute to a certain analysis and commentary on our own world.
Quote examples
Jane Curtin
American Actress
New York is a wonderful place to shoot. The bystanders are great. They are enthusiastic. They respect the process, and you get the energy of the city.
Quote examples
Ted Wheeler
American Politician
My job is to protect the safety of everyone... protesters, counter-protesters, and bystanders alike.
Quote examples
Hugh Mackay
Australian Scientist
Recounting their histories, people often sound like interested bystanders to their own lives.
Quote examples
Howard Schultz
American Businessman
Business leaders cannot be bystanders.
Example 1 of 10
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