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• forum
  forum

  noun

  the marketplace or public square of an ancient Roman city, the center of judicial and business affairs and a place of assembly for the people.
• Forum
  Forum

  noun

  the main forum of ancient Rome, situated between the Capitoline and the Palatine Hills

forum

American  

[fawr-uhm] / ˈfɔr əm /

noun

• forums,
  plural
• fora
  plural

1. the marketplace or public square of an ancient Roman city, the center of judicial and business affairs and a place of assembly for the people.

2. a court or tribunal.

   the forum of public opinion.

3. an assembly, meeting place, television program, etc., for the discussion of questions of public interest.

4. Also called online forum, internet forum, web forum. message board.

5. the Forum, the forum in the ancient city of Rome.

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forum ¹ British  

/ ˈfɔːrəm /

noun

1. a meeting or assembly for the open discussion of subjects of public interest

2. a medium for open discussion, such as a magazine

3. a public meeting place for open discussion

4. a court; tribunal

5. (in South Africa) a pressure group of leaders or representatives, esp Black leaders or representatives

6. (in ancient Italy) an open space, usually rectangular in shape, serving as a city's marketplace and centre of public business

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Forum ² British  

/ rəʊˈmɑːnəm /

noun

1. the main forum of ancient Rome, situated between the Capitoline and the Palatine Hills

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Usage

Plural word for forum The plural form of forum can be either forums or fora. Forums is more widely used. The plurals of several other singular words that end in -um are formed in this way, including gum/gums, possum/possums, or geranium/geraniums. Irregular plurals that are formed like fora, such as curriculum/curricula and memorandum/memoranda, derive directly from their original pluralization in Latin. However, the standard English plural -s ending is often also acceptable for these terms, as in curriculums and memorandums.

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• fora
  plural
• forums
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of forum

First recorded in 1425–75; late Middle English, from Latin: “marketplace, public place,” akin to forīs, forās “outside,” foris door

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Explanation

A forum is a public discussion. It can refer to a meeting, a meeting house or any conversation that is available publicly. There were forums — large public gathering places — in Ancient Rome; they can still be found across the globe. Traditionally, newspapers were thought of as forums for public discussions but more and more forums are virtual — discussion boards found online. Communities, however, still hold their own forums, or meetings, usually to discuss local issues. When you see the word forum, think public conversation.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

forum Forum fora forums

South Cumbria support group Menopause Matters is holding an online forum for World Menopause Day, inviting people to share their experiences and ask questions.

From BBC ● Oct. 17, 2026

Traditionally the president's speech at this annual foreign policy forum provides insight into Putin's world view.

From BBC ● Sep. 30, 2026

A public forum is a kind of fancy First Amendment way of saying it’s a space that the government has opened up for certain kinds of expression.

From Slate ● Sep. 30, 2026

Behun, a government and chemistry major, hopes Gay’s class offers a forum to better understand the model’s design, and discuss how it could be tweaked.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 23, 2026

The Roman demigods in the forum had coalesced into an angry mob.

From "The Mark of Athena" by Rick Riordan

“Some of the buffers that helped contain crude oil prices are ebbing,” McNally told MarketWatch by email Monday from Riyadh, where he was attending the 17th International Energy Forum.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 12, 2026

International undergraduate enrollment at Israeli research universities roughly doubled between 2021-22 and 2023-24, according to a report from the Kohelet Policy Forum, a Jerusalem-based think tank.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 7, 2026

"The system is already straining," he told the Energy Intelligence Forum in London.

From Barron's ● Oct. 6, 2026

You’ve been selling out arenas like the Forum, Madison Square Garden, the O2 Arena in London, and now you’re doing six shows at the Dolby Theatre, which must feel like an incredible homecoming for you.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026

Addie: Because that’s what we do when we have a Forum.

From "The Misfits" by James Howe

"The Pacific Island countries are constantly bearing the burden of coming to other fora and trying to get their voice heard."

From Barron's ● Apr. 30, 2026

"Most countries these days tend to participate in multiple fora and alliances," says Ravinder Kaur, a professor at the University of Copenhagen.

From BBC ● Oct. 1, 2023

"International NGOs and intergovernmental organizations could also play an important role in the synthesis and dissemination of new research, making sure it contributes to debates at international fora such as the climate and biodiversity COPs."

From Salon ● Sep. 3, 2023

She called on the EU to take “further concrete steps, bilaterally and in international fora, to prevent further atrocities and human suffering.”

From Seattle Times ● Jun. 18, 2021

Not three weeks later, the newspapers reported that in Yonkers, New York, Patterson was offering to sell his $140,000 house fora $20,000 loss.

From "The Autobiography of Malcolm X" by Alex Malcolm X;Hailey

These range from pages on general online forums such as Reddit and Discord, to dedicated clipping sites such as Clipping Culture, Vyro, Whop and Kick.

From BBC ● Oct. 12, 2026

“It starts attracting everybody,” he said of the forums he participated in and the speaking events he attended.

From Slate ● Sep. 22, 2026

The Japanese denim industry is the product of Hollywood’s cultural exports, a U.S. military occupation, Japan’s quest to rebuild its economy, American offshoring, clunky old internet forums and some very interesting characters.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 20, 2026

You are starting to see that on some of the fan forums – people saying, 'Either sign or don't.

From BBC ● Sep. 16, 2026

It would be a good way to distract herself from constantly refreshing the Book Scavenger forums for game rumors or updates on how Mr. Griswold was doing.

From "Book Scavenger" by Jennifer Chambliss Bertman

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