forum

American  

[fawr-uhm] / ˈfɔr əm /

noun

plural

forums, fora

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

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

---

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

---

Forum ² British  

/ rəʊˈmɑːnəm /

noun

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

---

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.

Etymology

Origin of forum

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

Example Sentences

American children held along with their families will be sharing their stories at Tuesday’s forum.

From Salon

AI systems like ChatGPT are changing online search, shifting standards from traditional SEO rankings to a company’s visibility online, in places like review sites and forums.

From The Wall Street Journal

“We call on them to withdraw from this biased forum.”

From Los Angeles Times

The United Nations should be the forum for managing international crises, the Vatican said.

From The Wall Street Journal

Gangani Publishing tried to market the book online and, in mid 2012, they posted on an online forum called The Accidental Smallholder which is designed to provide support for smallholders and gardeners.

From BBC

Related Words

• conference
• convention
• gathering
• seminar
• symposium