witch doctor

Syllables: witch doc·torUK/ˈwɪtʃ ˌdɒktə/US/ˈwɪtʃ ˌdɑktɚ/

witch doctor noun: a person (often male) who is believed to ward off witchcraft and heal through magical powers; a shaman.

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Noun

witch doctor (plural witch doctors)

A person (often male) who is believed to ward off witchcraft and heal through magical powers; a shaman.
- [T]he ſaid Dorothy Durent, having been with a Witch-Doctor, acknowledges upon Oath, that by his Advice, ſhe hang'd up her Child's Blanket in the Chimney, found a Toad in it at Night, had put it into the Fire, and held it there tho' it made a great and horrible Noiſe, and flaſht like Gunpowder, and...1718, Francis Hutchinson, “The Tryal before My Lord Chief Baron Hale”, in An Historical Essay Concerning Witchcraft. […], London: Printed for R. Knaplock, […], and D. Midwinter, […], →OCLC, page 110
- Some people are so foolish as to go to a witch-doctor when they have Cows in this complaint [prematurely parting with their unborn calves]:—they give him some money, and he tells them some frivolous tale, such as that some person that wishes them bad luck, or looks upon them with an evil eye, [...]1820, J[ohn] C. Knowlson, “The Felon”, in The Complete Cow-leech, or Cattle-Doctor; […], Otley, Yorkshire: Printed for the author by T. F. Bristow, […], →OCLC, page 104
(Southern US) A dragonfly.

Synonyms:

snake doctor

பில்லிசூன்ய மருத்துவர்

shaman, medicine man, healer: മന്ത്രവാദിവെെദ്യൻ, പ്രേതാർച്ചകപൂജാരി, രോഗഹാരി, ചികിത്സകൻ

person believed to ward off witchcraft and heal through magic: طَبِيب سَاحِر ṭabīb sāḥir

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I told the witch doctor I was in love with you / And then the witch doctor he told me what to do1958 April 1, David Seville [pseudonym; Ross Bagdasarian Sr.], “Witch Doctor”, in The Alvin Show:
He is a medicine man or a witch doctor, native healer or voodoo sorcerer—the "quack," so to speak, never the "doctor."1982, Sudhir Kakar, “Other Shamans”, in Shamans, Mystics and Doctors: A Psychological Inquiry into India and Its Healing Traditions, New...

What does witch doctor mean?: Witch doctor means a person (often male) who is believed to ward off witchcraft and heal through magical powers; a shaman.
What is witch doctor in Tamil?: Witch doctor in Tamil is பில்லிசூன்ய மருத்துவர். See Witch doctor meaning in Tamil.
How do you use witch doctor in a sentence?: I told the witch doctor I was in love with you / And then the witch doctor he told me what to do
What part of speech is witch doctor?: Witch doctor is a noun.
How do you pronounce witch doctor?: Witch doctor is pronounced /ˈwɪtʃ ˌdɒktə/ (UK).
What is the plural of witch doctor?: The plural of witch doctor is witch doctors.

Last updated: 2026-09-02

Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: en-au-witch doctor.ogg.

Cite this entry: “witch doctor.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/witch_doctor. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.