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.
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
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.
First recorded in 1425–75; late Middle English, from Latin: “marketplace, public place,” akin to forīs, forās “outside,” foris door
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.
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Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
"Interest rates are a bit too high," conceded Kirill Dmitriev, President Putin's special envoy on foreign investment when we spoke at the forum.
From BBC • Jun. 7, 2026
On Wednesday, Ukrainian drones struck within miles of the economic forum on its opening day.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 6, 2026
"I don't see any point for now," he said when asked whether he would take up Zelensky's offer while speaking at Russia's annual economic forum in St Petersburg on Friday.
From BBC • Jun. 5, 2026
The forum, which was started decades ago as a way of showcasing investment opportunities in Russia, took place against a backdrop of growing economic stress and Putin’s own falling poll ratings.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 5, 2026
The senators made their way to a big white-domed building on the west end of the forum.
From "The Son of Neptune" by Rick Riordan
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.
