circuit court

noun

: a court that sits at two or more places within one judicial district

Examples of circuit 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.
Certainly, multiple federal circuit courts have affirmed the right of the public to film law enforcement. The Orlando Sentinel, 3 Feb. 2026 The judges ordered the case against the child to be sent back to circuit court. Chris Ramirez, jsonline.com, 3 Feb. 2026 The company is the sole defendant in the Texas lawsuit, while those filed in a Kentucky circuit court also name UPS, UPS Air, Boeing and General Electric. Brandon Lingle, San Antonio Express-News, 28 Jan. 2026 The committee filed a lawsuit this month in Leon County circuit court after the number of valid signatures shown on the Division of Elections website remained at 675,307 for about two months. News Service Of Florida, Sun Sentinel, 26 Jan. 2026 See All Example Sentences for circuit court

Word History

First Known Use

1708, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of circuit court was in 1708

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Circuit court.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/circuit%20court. Accessed 16 Feb. 2026.

Legal Definition

circuit court

noun
: a court that sits in more than one place in a judicial district: as
a
: a state court usually with original jurisdiction and sometimes with appellate jurisdiction
b
: any of the federal courts of appeals
not used technically

Note: Before 1948, the U.S. Courts of Appeals were known as Circuit Courts of Appeals.

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!

More from Merriam-Webster