tribunal

noun

tri·​bu·​nal trī-ˈbyü-nᵊl How to pronounce tribunal (audio)
tri-
1
: a court or forum of justice
2
: something that decides or determines
the tribunal of public opinion
3

Examples of tribunal in a Sentence

An international tribunal was formed to deal with war crimes. was tried before a military tribunal and found not guilty of the charges
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 code is admissible evidence in court and labor tribunals, thus providing workers with real authority during disputes with their employers. Dee Coakley, Forbes.com, 24 Apr. 2025 During his papacy, Francis sought to clean up Vatican finances and changed the law to ensure that Becciu, as a cardinal, could be judged by a Vatican tribunal of judges. Lauren Said-Moorhouse, CNN Money, 23 Apr. 2025 The general created tribunals to oversee crop disputes between landlords and tenants, as many tenants were too poor to appear in state court. Arkansas Online, 19 Apr. 2025 Put on trial before a military tribunal and found guilty on 474 counts of murder (as well as embezzlement of public funds, material injury, and systematic violations of human rights) was Equatorial Guinea’s first post-independence president, Francisco Macías Nguema. The Editors, JSTOR Daily, 18 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for tribunal

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Latin, platform for magistrates, from tribunus tribune

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 3

Time Traveler
The first known use of tribunal was in the 15th century

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Tribunal.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tribunal. Accessed 3 May. 2025.

Kids Definition

tribunal

noun
tri·​bu·​nal trī-ˈbyün-ᵊl How to pronounce tribunal (audio)
trib-ˈyün-
1
: the seat of a judge
2
: a court of justice
3
: something that decides or determines
the tribunal of public opinion

Legal Definition

tribunal

noun
tri·​bu·​nal trī-ˈbyün-ᵊl, tri- How to pronounce tribunal (audio)
1
: the seat of a judge or one acting as a judge
2
: a court or forum of justice : a person or body of persons having to hear and decide disputes so as to bind the parties
Etymology

Latin, platform for magistrates, from tribunus tribune, from tribus tribe

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