forum
noun
the marketplace or public square of an ancient Roman city, the center of judicial and business affairs and a place of assembly for the people.
forum
American
[fawr-uhm]
/ ˈfɔr əm /
noun
-
forums,
plural
-
fora
plural
-
the marketplace or public square of an ancient Roman city, the center of judicial and business affairs and a place of assembly for the people.
-
a court or tribunal.
the forum of public opinion.
-
an assembly, meeting place, television program, etc., for the discussion of questions of public interest.
-
Also called online forum,. Also called internet forum,. Also called web forum. message board.
-
the Forum, the forum in the ancient city of Rome.
forum
1
British
/ ˈfɔːrəm /
noun
-
a meeting or assembly for the open discussion of subjects of public interest
-
a medium for open discussion, such as a magazine
-
a public meeting place for open discussion
-
a court; tribunal
-
(in South Africa) a pressure group of leaders or representatives, esp Black leaders or representatives
-
(in ancient Italy) an open space, usually rectangular in shape, serving as a city's marketplace and centre of public business
Forum
2
British
/ rəʊˈmɑːnəm /
noun
Usage
Plural word for forum The plural form of forum can be either forums or fora. Forums is more widely used. The plurals of several other singular words that end in -um are formed in this way, including gum/gums, possum/possums, or geranium/geraniums. Irregular plurals that are formed like fora, such as curriculum/curricula and memorandum/memoranda, derive directly from their original pluralization in Latin. However, the standard English plural -s ending is often also acceptable for these terms, as in curriculums and memorandums.
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of forum
First recorded in 1425–75; late Middle English, from Latin: “marketplace, public place,” akin to forīs, forās “outside,” foris door
Explanation
A forum is a public discussion. It can refer to a meeting, a meeting house or any conversation that is available publicly. There were forums — large public gathering places — in Ancient Rome; they can still be found across the globe. Traditionally, newspapers were thought of as forums for public discussions but more and more forums are virtual — discussion boards found online. Communities, however, still hold their own forums, or meetings, usually to discuss local issues. When you see the word forum, think public conversation.
Vocabulary lists containing forum
100 SAT Words Beginning with "F"
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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:
Weber Pierson said that SB 958 “is not special-interest legislation” during a Aug. 9 public forum about the project, describing it a broad-based housing tool, according to the Peninsula Beacon.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 18, 2026
In the popular Reddit forum “Am I the Asshole?” users describe a personal experience and others weigh in on whether the person is at fault.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 16, 2026
Online forum Reddit will replace luxury-apartment developer AvalonBay Communities in the S&P 500 index before the opening of trading on Tuesday, according to S&P Dow Jones Indices, which oversees the index.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026
Parsons echoed those feelings at last week's fans' forum but has urged the club to move on, revealing that Eckert has now been asked to "focus on football".
From BBC ● Aug. 14, 2026
He and Justin met online at some photography forum.
From "Ask the Passengers" by A.S. King
In 1979, Jerry Buss bought the Lakers, the Forum and the Los Angeles Kings for $67.5 million.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 21, 2026
"Europe largely missed out on the first digital revolution, as the commercial gains from the spread of information and communication technologies were captured disproportionately elsewhere," Lagarde said at a World Economic Forum event in Geneva.
From Barron's ● Aug. 19, 2026
Adnan Hmidan, chairman of the Palestinian Forum in Britain, said the community was "deeply shocked and saddened" by what had happened.
From BBC ● Aug. 19, 2026
Mr. Heitman, a columnist for the Baton Rouge Advocate, is the editor of Phi Kappa Phi’s Forum magazine.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 16, 2026
Percy led them right to it, on an abandoned stretch of hillside overlooking the ruined Forum.
From "The Mark of Athena" by Rick Riordan
"The Pacific Island countries are constantly bearing the burden of coming to other fora and trying to get their voice heard."
From Barron's ● Apr. 30, 2026
"Most countries these days tend to participate in multiple fora and alliances," says Ravinder Kaur, a professor at the University of Copenhagen.
From BBC ● Oct. 1, 2023
Lula will have his chance to welcome foreign leaders for important multilateral fora in coming years, as well, hosting the G20 next year and likely the U.N. climate conference in 2025.
From Seattle Times ● Sep. 18, 2023
"International NGOs and intergovernmental organizations could also play an important role in the synthesis and dissemination of new research, making sure it contributes to debates at international fora such as the climate and biodiversity COPs."
From Salon ● Sep. 3, 2023
Not three weeks later, the newspapers reported that in Yonkers, New York, Patterson was offering to sell his $140,000 house fora $20,000 loss.
From "The Autobiography of Malcolm X" by Alex Malcolm X;Hailey
On Reddit, and across Microsoft’s own Tech Community forums, more such claims abound of surprise deletion without notification.
From Slate ● Aug. 18, 2026
“Ask Me Anything”-style forums are also a tried-and-true strategy for driving engagement, particularly if brands can bring on a special guest.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026
Reaction across online forums has highlighted a divide among users about whether the update will get more people using Bumble - or if it makes it "just like any other dating app".
From BBC ● Aug. 13, 2026
He’s sought investors in a variety of forums, including a webinar called “Discover the Investment Model Behind Our State-Funded Private Schools — with Mike Tyson.”
From Salon ● Jul. 27, 2026
It was, he explained, a French word for extended forums “to open lines of communication in order that all people might understand each other’s role as it relates to desegregation problems.”
From "The Best of Enemies" by Osha Gray Davidson
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.
