forum

American  

[fawr-uhm] / ˈfɔr əm /

noun

plural

forums, fora

1. 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.

2. a court or tribunal.

   the forum of public opinion.

3. an assembly, meeting place, television program, etc., for the discussion of questions of public interest.

4. Also called online forum,.  Also called internet forum,.  Also called web forum.  message board.

5. the Forum, the forum in the ancient city of Rome.

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forum ¹ British  

/ ˈfɔːrəm /

noun

1. a meeting or assembly for the open discussion of subjects of public interest

2. a medium for open discussion, such as a magazine

3. a public meeting place for open discussion

4. a court; tribunal

5. (in South Africa) a pressure group of leaders or representatives, esp Black leaders or representatives

6. (in ancient Italy) an open space, usually rectangular in shape, serving as a city's marketplace and centre of public business

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Forum ² British  

/ rəʊˈmɑːnəm /

noun

1. the main forum of ancient Rome, situated between the Capitoline and the Palatine Hills

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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.

Etymology

Origin of forum

First recorded in 1425–75; late Middle English, from Latin: “marketplace, public place,” akin to forīs, forās “outside,” foris door

Example Sentences

The formation of the new forum, with its slogan: "Bring them home now", gave the hostages' families a much-needed sense of regaining control.

From BBC

He started with EveryTime, a Korean online forum exclusive to university students, but has since moved his focus to making short-form videos which have gone viral on Instagram, Threads, and YouTube.

From BBC

Reddit forums and Discord servers act as digital commons, replacing the sense of civic belonging that once came from churches or neighborhoods.

From The Wall Street Journal

"We have put him in the right forum to do his politicking," the prisons spokesman told the BBC, adding that Ampe did not show remorse when he appeared before the Prisons Council.

From BBC

Putin uses his hours-long TV marathon both as a forum for fiery foreign policy statements and to offer up all sorts of advice on love and family matters, recite poetry or promise to fix potholes.

From Barron's

Related Words

• conference
• convention
• gathering
• seminar
• symposium