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.
First recorded in 1565–75; earlier martial court
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."
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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
All nine men will face court-martial, the spokesman said.
From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 17, 2025
I was one of a only a handful of human rights attorneys to attend her court-martial and sentencing.
From Salon • Apr. 21, 2025
His fellow soldiers vehemently disagreed, and Lorance was eventually sentenced to 20 years in prison by a court-martial.
From Slate • Oct. 28, 2024
“When Stuart comes back, if he does come back—which he will eventually, if only just to read the Richmond newspapers—you ought to court-martial him.”
From "The Killer Angels: The Classic Novel of the Civil War" by Michael Shaara
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.
