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contempt of court

Cultural  

  1. The deliberate obstruction of a court's proceedings by refusing to obey a court order or by interfering with court procedures. Contempt of court can be punished by fine, imprisonment, or both.

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

She defied court orders to issue the licenses until a federal judge jailed her for contempt of court in September 2015.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 10, 2025

In 2000, Laws was also found guilty of contempt of court for interviewing a juror after a murder trial and was handed a suspended jail sentence.

From BBC • Nov. 9, 2025

Hasina, already convicted in July for contempt of court and sentenced in absentia to six months in prison, also faces ongoing corruption cases.

From Barron's • Oct. 16, 2025

Hasina has already been sentenced to six months in prison for contempt of court, and separately faces corruption charges.

From BBC • Oct. 16, 2025

The judge declared Russo in contempt of court and sent him to jail.

From "Most Dangerous: Daniel Ellsberg and the Secret History of the Vietnam War" by Steve Sheinkin

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.