Synonyms of forum
1
a
: the marketplace or public place of an ancient Roman city forming the center of judicial and public business
b
: a public meeting place for open discussion
The club provides a forum for people interested in local history.
c
: a medium (such as a newspaper or online service) of open discussion or expression of ideas
2
: a judicial body or assembly : court
3
a
: a public meeting or lecture involving audience discussion
The town has scheduled a public forum to discuss the proposal.
b
: a program (as on radio or television) involving discussion of a problem usually by several authorities

Examples of forum in a Sentence

Forums were held to determine how to handle the situation. The town has scheduled a public forum to discuss the proposal. The club provides a forum for people who share an interest in local history.
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 petitioners and protesters are calling on the YMCA to pause the sale, explore alternatives that keep the branch open and hold public forums before making a final decision. Charlotte Observer, 10 July 2026 Pizzi spoke with the Herald in March at a Miami forum organized by the Inter-American Institute for Democracy. Jay Weaver, Miami Herald, 10 July 2026 What used to be a forum for original, quirky, clever remarks by the Daily News’ varied community of smartypants has turned into a gridlock of repetitious venting of old, dumb blah. Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 10 July 2026 The resulting embrace of antisemitism by mainstream politicians and commentators has coincided with spiking violence against Jews worldwide and soaring antisemitic sentiment on social media and other public forums. Will Carless, USA Today, 10 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for forum

Word History

Etymology

Latin; akin to Latin foris outside, fores door — more at door

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

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

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Forum.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/forum. Accessed 12 Jul. 2026.

Kids Definition

forum

noun
plural forums also fora -ə How to pronounce forum (audio)
1
: the marketplace or public place of an ancient Roman city serving as the center of public business
2
: a means (as a newspaper or online service) of open discussion or expression of ideas
3
: a meeting or program involving discussion

Legal Definition

1
2
a
: a judicial body or assembly : court
allowed the defendant in a state court action to choose the federal forum by removing the caseM. H. Redish
b
: the territorial jurisdiction of a court
due process requires defendant to have minimum level of contacts with forum before personal jurisdiction may be exercisedNational Law Journal

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