ex parte

American

[eks pahr-tee] / ɛks ˈpɑr ti /

adjective

from or on one side only of a dispute, as a divorce suit; without notice to or the presence of the other party.

ex parte British

/ ɛks ˈpɑːtɪ /

adjective

law (of an application in a judicial proceeding) on behalf of one side or party only

an ex parte injunction

"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

Etymology

Origin of ex parte

Borrowed into English from Latin around 1665–75

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.

I sent a letter to the judge explaining the situation and copied all parties to avoid ex parte communication.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 11, 2026

Those ex parte communications were not disclosed, he said.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 27, 2026

In a court filing seen by Newsweek on Wednesday, the DHS said that it complied with the order “by submitting declarations with attachments for ex parte review” by way of encrypted link.

From Seattle Times • Apr. 11, 2024

About 70 percent of the state’s 200,000 aged, blind, and disabled qualify for a new ex parte renewal process, and of those, preliminary analysis shows 85 percent will be auto-renewed.

From Slate • Jul. 13, 2023

You should not condemn her, Hume, upon ex parte evidence.

From First Person Paramount by Pratt, Ambrose

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