De Witt (d? w?t?, v?t?), Jan 1625-1672. Dutch politician. He and his brother Cornelius (1623-1672) were murdered by an angry mob for their opposition to William of Orange.American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.de Witt (d? ?w?t) n (Biography) Johan. 1625?72, Dutch statesman; chief minister of the United Provinces of the Netherlands (1653?72)Collins English Dictionary ? Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014