trial court

noun

Synonyms of trial courtnext
: the court before which issues of fact and law are first determined as distinguished from an appellate court

Examples of trial court in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The court upheld the $14 million front-pay award but remanded the issue back to the trial court for further review. — Chase Jordan, Charlotte Observer, 25 Aug. 2026 But within hours, Mamdani filed the lawsuit in a Manhattan trial court. — Cayla Bamberger, New York Daily News, 24 Aug. 2026 Friday’s ruling did not throw out the trial court’s finding of defamation against Jones. — Jim Vertuno, Fortune, 21 Aug. 2026 The appeals court ruled that the trial court judge improperly allowed the parents to seek damages above the cap. — Jim Vertuno, Los Angeles Times, 21 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for trial court

Word History

First Known Use

1889, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of trial court was in 1889

Rhymes for trial court

See All Rhymes for trial court

Browse Nearby Words

trial color proof
trial court
trial docket
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Trial court.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/trial%20court. Accessed 1 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation

Legal Definition

trial court

noun
: the court before which issues of fact and law are tried and first determined as distinguished from an appellate court

More from Merriam-Webster on trial court

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for trial court

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

Why does English have so many silent letters?

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

Even More Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
skateboard-dog-hat
Wordmaxxing Slang Quiz Give your vocabulary a glow up by getting sendy w...
See All