court-martial

[ kawrt-mahr-shuhl, -mahr-, kohrt- ]

/ ˈkɔrtˌmɑr ʃəl, -ˈmɑr-, ˈkoʊrt- /

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See synonyms for court-martial on Thesaurus.com

noun, plural courts-mar·tial, court-mar·tials.

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.

a trial by such a court.

a conviction by such a court: He lost his privileges because of his court-martial.

a session of such a court: He attended the court-martial this morning.

verb (used with object), court-mar·tialed, court-mar·tial·ing or (especially British) court-mar·tialled, court-mar·tial·ling.

to arraign and try by court-martial.

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Origin of court-martial

First recorded in 1565–75; earlier martial court

How to use court-martial in a sentence

Now facing criminal charges, Neubauer could be standing before a court-martial by mid-June.
Air Force Charges Ex-Informant With Lying About Her Rape|Jacob Siegel|May 1, 2014|DAILY BEAST
As his court-martial finally got under way, I was reading a book called Making War at Fort Hood.
The Army Life, Mundane and Hideously Violent, by Turns|Brian Van Reet|August 29, 2013|DAILY BEAST
The claims were made in a letter that came to light during the court martial of a former member of the SAS.
A New Twist Emerges in Princess Diana’s Death|Nico Hines|August 17, 2013|DAILY BEAST
The militia were a body of drilled troops, conscripted by law, and subject to military discipline inclding court martial.
'Let's Talk About Guns' Live Chat Transcript|David Frum|January 25, 2013|DAILY BEAST

Then they decide that such a court-martial would embarrass them.
David's Bookclub: Catch-22|David Frum|December 29, 2012|DAILY BEAST
He was at once arrested, and on October 13th tried by court martial, condemned to death, and executed a few hours later.
Napoleon's Marshals|R. P. Dunn-Pattison
The Court Martial would furnish volumes of opinions, but not a line of fact.
Private Letters of Edward Gibbon (1753-1794) Volume 1 (of 2)|Edward Gibbon
In the following year a dragoon was similarly sentenced by court-martial to be branded on the tongue.
A Cursory History of Swearing|Julian Sharman
Palliser made charges against Keppel, which led to a court-martial on the latter.
Private Letters of Edward Gibbon (1753-1794) Volume 1 (of 2)|Edward Gibbon
A court-martial was convened, and the leader and seven others out of the twenty-two were condemned and executed.
Famous Adventures And Prison Escapes of the Civil War|Various

British Dictionary definitions for court-martial

court martial

noun plural court martials or courts martial

a military court that tries persons subject to military law

verb court-martial, -tials, -tialling or -tialled or US -tials, -tialing or -tialed

(tr) to try by court martial

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012