county court

American  

noun

1. (in the U.S.)

   1. an administrative board in counties in some states.

   2. a judicial tribunal in some states with jurisdiction extending over one or more counties.

2. (in England)

   1. the lowest civil tribunal, having limited jurisdiction, mostly for the recovery of small debts.

   2. (formerly) the assembly of local residents who met periodically in each county under the presidency of the sheriff to transact the judicial and administrative business of the county.

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county court British  

noun

1. (in England) a local court exercising limited jurisdiction in civil matters

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Etymology

Origin of county court

First recorded in 1525–35

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

county court

There is no longer any public trace of Helton’s criminal case in the Ohio county court system; certain nonviolent cases are allowed to be sealed or expunged after a set amount of time has passed.

From Salon ● Jul. 27, 2026

Mrs Justice Lieven said in her ruling that the "appropriate forum" for the claim was the county court, rather than the High Court.

From BBC ● Mar. 17, 2026

The 65-year-old learned he would lose his home in Thetford, Norfolk, during a brisk 10-minute county court hearing earlier this year.

From BBC ● Nov. 18, 2025

Deirdre Vickers, a sheriff’s department spokesperson, said she could not comment on pending litigation, as did a representative for the county court system.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 29, 2025

Eric’s father was the clerk of the county court and often passed on news of particularly juicy trials to Eric, whose popularity increased in proportion.

From "The Book of Dust: La Belle Sauvage" by Philip Pullman