Jump To:

• forum
  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
  Forum

  noun

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

forum

American  

[fawr-uhm] / ˈfɔr əm /

noun

• forums,
  plural
• fora
  plural

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, internet forum, web forum. message board.

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

---

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

---

Forum ² British  

/ rəʊˈmɑːnəm /

noun

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

---

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

• fora
  plural
• forums
  plural

---

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.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

forum Forum fora forums

South Cumbria support group Menopause Matters is holding an online forum for World Menopause Day, inviting people to share their experiences and ask questions.

From BBC ● Oct. 17, 2026

A public forum is a kind of fancy First Amendment way of saying it’s a space that the government has opened up for certain kinds of expression.

From Slate ● Sep. 30, 2026

Traditionally the president's speech at this annual foreign policy forum provides insight into Putin's world view.

From BBC ● Sep. 30, 2026

The retreat, held at a luxury resort called the Cove, was organized by a nonprofit called Lightcone Infrastructure that had grown out of Yudkowsky’s LessWrong forum.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 27, 2026

The forum dissolved in a good humor, everyone being delighted with Frightful.

From "My Side of the Mountain" by Jean Craighead George

In 2012, Mandell joined actor Barry McGovern in his 400th performance as Vladimir in Beckett’s “Waiting for Godot” at the Mark Taper Forum.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 15, 2026

“Some of the buffers that helped contain crude oil prices are ebbing,” McNally told MarketWatch by email Monday from Riyadh, where he was attending the 17th International Energy Forum.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 12, 2026

This year, though, what is now called the Energy Intelligence Forum was all about oil and money.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2026

In prepared remarks at the Istanbul Economic Forum, Christopher Waller said the economic data underscoring the need for interest-rate increases hasn’t shifted much.

From Barron's ● Oct. 8, 2026

For a decade now, Devaney had sponsored this conference—called ASF, or the American Securitization Forum, in part because it sounded more dignified than the Association for Subprime Lending.

From "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis

"I call on states and companies to mobilise urgently through multilateral fora to chart a path for action to govern advanced, frontier Al models, grounded in international human rights law."

From Barron's ● Sep. 14, 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

"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

She called on the EU to take “further concrete steps, bilaterally and in international fora, to prevent further atrocities and human suffering.”

From Seattle Times ● Jun. 18, 2021

She holds my arm fora few seconds, and then releases me.

From "Insurgent" by Veronica Roth

These range from pages on general online forums such as Reddit and Discord, to dedicated clipping sites such as Clipping Culture, Vyro, Whop and Kick.

From BBC ● Oct. 12, 2026

This public forum thing is a little bit complicated in this context because there are actually multiple public forums here.

From Slate ● Sep. 30, 2026

The Japanese denim industry is the product of Hollywood’s cultural exports, a U.S. military occupation, Japan’s quest to rebuild its economy, American offshoring, clunky old internet forums and some very interesting characters.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 20, 2026

You are starting to see that on some of the fan forums – people saying, 'Either sign or don't.

From BBC ● Sep. 16, 2026

“Yes, they’re online friends. I know them from the math forums and the tutoring websites.”

From "The Miscalculations of Lightning Girl" by Stacy McAnulty

Random Word

Spin the wheel and learn a new word!

---

Related Words

• conference
• convention
• gathering
• seminar
• symposium

---