tribunal

American  

[trahy-byoon-l, trih-] / traɪˈbyun l, trɪ- /

noun

1. a court of justice.

2. a place or seat of judgment.

3. Also called tribune.  a raised platform for the seats of magistrates, as in an ancient Roman basilica.

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tribunal British  

/ trɪ-, traɪˈbjuːnəl /

noun

1. a court of justice or any place where justice is administered

2. (in Britain) a special court, convened by the government to inquire into a specific matter

3. a raised platform containing the seat of a judge or magistrate, originally that in a Roman basilica

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Etymology

Origin of tribunal

1520–30; < Latin tribūnal, tribūnāle judgment seat, equivalent to tribūn ( us ) tribune ¹ + -āl ( e ) -al ²

Explanation

A tribunal is like a court. If you've done something wrong and you get caught it's likely you'll be brought before a tribunal, although not all tribunals are there to determine guilt. Say, for example, you'd like to join a secret society. That society might convene a tribunal to determine whether you're worthy of joining. One way to remember tribunal is to focus on the tri at the beginning of the word. A tribunal is there to "try" a case. A tribunal is a group of people who oversee a trial. Your mom and dad could be a tribunal. You could also think of it as the group who oversees their tribe, which is, in fact, where the word comes from.

Example Sentences

Yet the Nuremberg Tribunal is now generally seen as a remarkably fair execution of justice given the unprecedented circumstances, and a foundation for international criminal law.

From Salon • May 18, 2026

“There is insufficient remaining competition to constrain a post-merger exercise of market power by Keyera,” lawyers for the bureau said in a filing to the Competition Tribunal, Canada’s antitrust judicial body.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 5, 2026

"The United Kingdom respectfully requests that the Tribunal dismiss each of Rwanda's claims," Britain concluded in its submission.

From Barron's • Mar. 18, 2026

MI5 has resolved Beth's legal claim at the Investigatory Powers Tribunal without admission of liability, meaning without a legal admission of wrongdoing.

From BBC • Mar. 17, 2026

I foresee an International Geek Tribunal emerging through the vast slowly connecting networks that are already forming between geeks here and geeks there.

From "Geeks: How Two Lost Boys Rode the Internet Out of Idaho" by Jon Katz

Related Words

• board
• committee
• judge
• justice