court-martial
noun
a court consisting of military or naval personnel appointed by a commander to try charges of offenses by soldiers, sailors, etc., against military or naval law.
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court-martial
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court martial
court martialnouna military court that tries persons subject to military law
court-martial
American
[kawrt-mahr-shuhl, -mahr-, kohrt-]
/ ˈkɔrtˌmɑr ʃəl, -ˈmɑr-, ˈkoʊrt- /
noun
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courts-martial,
plural
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court-martials
plural
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a court consisting of military or naval personnel appointed by a commander to try charges of offenses by soldiers, sailors, etc., against military or naval law.
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a trial by such a court.
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a conviction by such a court.
He lost his privileges because of his court-martial.
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a session of such a court.
He attended the court-martial this morning.
verb (used with object)
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court-martials,
present (3rd person singular)
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court-martialed,
past participle, past
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court-martialled,
past participle, past (especially British)
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court-martialing,
present participle
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court-martialling
present participle (especially British)
court martial
British
noun
verb
Other Word Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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court-martialsimple
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court-martialssimple
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have court-martialedperfect
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have court-martialledperfect
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has court-martialedperfect
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has court-martialledperfect
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am court-martialingprogressive
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am court-martiallingprogressive
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are court-martialingprogressive
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are court-martiallingprogressive
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is court-martialingprogressive
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is court-martiallingprogressive
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have been court-martialingperfect progressive
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have been court-martiallingperfect progressive
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has been court-martialingperfect progressive
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has been court-martiallingperfect progressive
Past
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court-martialedsimple
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court-martialledsimple
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had court-martialedperfect
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had court-martialledperfect
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was court-martialingprogressive
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was court-martiallingprogressive
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were court-martialingprogressive
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were court-martiallingprogressive
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had been court-martialingperfect progressive
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had been court-martiallingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of court-martial
First recorded in 1565–75; earlier martial court
Explanation
A court-martial is a special legal trial for members of the military. When someone in the armed forces is accused of a crime, they are usually subject to court-martial. Court-martial is the official name of a military court, or for a trial within that kind of court. Active military members are subject to a separate set of laws from civilians, and part of that military legal process involves facing a judge in a court-martial. Criminal offenses like theft and assault are tried this way, as are military-specific crimes like desertion. Martial means "pertaining to war."
Vocabulary lists containing court-martial
Fallen Angels
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The Martian
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The Judicial Branch
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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.
See Examples For:
In 2021, a court-martial dismissed Villamide for negligence and sentenced other officers to up to 45 days in jail for concealing information.
From Barron's ● Mar. 3, 2026
However, a court-martial would require a trial in a military court, with the prosecutors presenting evidence of criminality.
From Slate ● Jan. 13, 2026
When retired servicemembers come back to face court-martial proceedings, it’s usually related to allegations from their time in active duty, he said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 24, 2025
The Pentagon said on Monday that further action may be taken against Kelly, including a recall to active duty for court-martial or administrative measures.
From BBC ● Nov. 24, 2025
The doctors and nurses sprang to his defense, and the court-martial was dropped.
From "Boots on the Ground: America's War in Vietnam" by Elizabeth Partridge
Besigye initially faced a court martial but the case was later moved to a civilian court after the Supreme Court ruled it was unconstitutional to try civilians in military courts.
From Barron's ● Jul. 13, 2026
Besigye objected to being tried by a court martial, saying that if there were any charges against him, he should be tried in a civilian court.
From BBC ● Dec. 1, 2024
Their court martial, in a strange display of leniency, sentenced the most culpable perpetrator to just 10 years in prison, while one of the four defendants did not even receive a punitive discharge.
From Salon ● Aug. 3, 2024
The sailors were tried and convicted in a court martial, sentenced to bad conduct discharge and fined three months pay.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 17, 2024
So, as the head of the court martial, Washington weighed the evidence and listened to Church, who claimed he was innocent.
From "George Washington, Spymaster" by Thomas B. Allen
The secretary general called for on-site court-martials of alleged perpetrators and DNA testing to identify them.
From The Guardian ● Mar. 4, 2016
The Philippine military said that Gudani and Balutan will also face court-martials.
From Time Magazine Archive
Xissley, told me that I had been more expense to the Army, due to court-martials, etc., than I could ever repay, even though I should serve the Army 30 -ears.
From Time Magazine Archive
The authorities called for court-martials but quieted down when it was learned that the whole frontier was in cahoots with the Black Boys.
From Time Magazine Archive
In these kind of capstan-head court-martials, at which captains will sometimes administer reefers’ law, “Woe to the weakest!”
From Rattlin the Reefer by Frederick Marryat
But they are the ones who will face courts-martial and federal indictments if they cross the line.
From Slate ● Dec. 3, 2025
On Wednesday, Del Toro told the Washington Post the decision came after a Navy investigation found legal errors made in the 1944 courts-martial.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 17, 2024
VanLandingham said one of the most significant changes in December was Congress' decision to require that courts-martial jurors — known as panel members — be selected at random, like a civilian jury.
From Salon ● Feb. 14, 2023
But the bill leaves the convening authority for such courts-martial in the chain of command.
From Washington Post ● Dec. 15, 2021
Now it is necessary to point out that no one gave evidence of theft against the prisoners before the courts-martial; no one could say that the conflagrations had been taken advantage of for pillage.
From History of the Commune of 1871 by P. Lissagary
Because Mauldin himself was a soldier, Patton could have him court-martialed and put in jail.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 5, 2026
“Personally I think Carrie Bradshaw should’ve been court-martialed for inviting Big to Aidan’s cabin,” wrote another.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 12, 2024
David Christopher Noble, 48, a former US Air Force officer who was previously court-martialed and dismissed from the military, and Nicole Devilbiss, 35.
From BBC ● Apr. 3, 2024
Jenkins was court-martialed, dishonorably discharged and served a brief sentence — during which he claimed he was intensely debriefed by U.S. intelligence officials.
From Washington Times ● Jul. 19, 2023
She’d thought in rapid succession: I shouldn’t leave base, I don’t know what I’m doing, it’s probably illegal, I’ll be court-martialed, and so forth.
From "Code Name Verity" by Elizabeth Wein
He said that two army personnel were being court-martialled over the incident and while the case was still in progress, the military had redeployed them and relieved them of their command.
From BBC ● Dec. 2, 2024
Frémont’s fate was ironic: having accepted the primacy of the Navy, he refused to take orders from the Army general who arrived later, and he was court-martialled on his return to D.C.
From The New Yorker ● Jan. 20, 2020
James Crozier was one of 306 British or Commonwealth soldiers executed after being court-martialled for cowardice or desertion during that war.
From The Guardian ● Jun. 29, 2014
Army intelligence analyst Bradley Manning directly to WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange on Monday at a hearing to determine whether Manning will be court-martialled in the biggest leak of classified documents in American history.
From Reuters ● Dec. 20, 2011
He will never be "fresh" to a stranger again, and he left the rink expecting to be court-martialled.
From Over Here Impressions of America by a British officer by Hector MacQuarrie
The service also has considered court-martialing skippers, only to ultimately decide that was not warranted.
From Washington Post ● Jan. 17, 2018
Amerine believes the Army is bent on court-martialing him once the Criminal Investigation Command finishes its probe.
From Washington Times ● Jun. 14, 2015
Pentagon officials initially dismissed the idea of court-martialing Sergeant Bergdahl, saying five years in captivity was punishment enough.
From New York Times ● Jun. 3, 2014
In 2012, the Indian Supreme Court ruled that the army could choose between court-martialing the soldiers or allowing them to be prosecuted in civilian courts.
From New York Times ● Jan. 26, 2014
“Well,” said I, “you will raise the deuce court-martialing me, when there is only five or six members of the Company who can read or write and they are all on my side.”
From The Indians' Last Fight Or The Dull Knife Raid by Dennis Collins
There had been calls for the removal, even the court-martialling, of the general concerned, but the army had defended the latter and he had been allowed to complete the campaign.
From "The Remains of the Day" by Kazuo Ishiguro
They have a pretty habit of court-martialling naval officers when they risk their ship unnecessarily.
From A Gunner Aboard the "Yankee" by Russell Doubleday
There would probably be some court-martialling of their patrols.
From The Seventeenth Highland Light Infantry (Glasgow Chamber of Commerce Battalion) Record of War Service, 1914-1918 by John W. Arthur
But I say I am ashamed of you to go private court-martialling your own father in that way, and find such fault with him for helping you to get off!”
From Real Gold A Story of Adventure by George Manville Fenn
The rest of the year was uneventful, except for the court-martialling of Lee and his duel with Laurens, who challenged him for his defamation of Washington.
From The Conqueror by Gertrude Franklin Horn Atherton
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.
