tribunal

American  

[trahy-byoon-l, trih-] / traɪˈbjun l, trɪ- /

noun

tribunals plural

1. a court of justice.

2. a place or seat of judgment.

3. Also called tribune.  a raised platform for the seats of magistrates, as in an ancient Roman basilica.

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tribunal British  

/ trɪ-, traɪˈbjuːnəl /

noun

1. a court of justice or any place where justice is administered

2. (in Britain) a special court, convened by the government to inquire into a specific matter

3. a raised platform containing the seat of a judge or magistrate, originally that in a Roman basilica

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• tribunals
  plural

Etymology

Origin of tribunal

1520–30; < Latin tribūnal, tribūnāle judgment seat, equivalent to tribūn ( us ) tribune ¹ + -āl ( e ) -al ²

Explanation

A tribunal is like a court. If you've done something wrong and you get caught it's likely you'll be brought before a tribunal, although not all tribunals are there to determine guilt. Say, for example, you'd like to join a secret society. That society might convene a tribunal to determine whether you're worthy of joining. One way to remember tribunal is to focus on the tri at the beginning of the word. A tribunal is there to "try" a case. A tribunal is a group of people who oversee a trial. Your mom and dad could be a tribunal. You could also think of it as the group who oversees their tribe, which is, in fact, where the word comes from.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

tribunal tribunals

Cases going to tribunal can be around employers not making those adjustments, but they can also be about how people are treated at work.

From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2026

As well as costly, these tribunal claims are becoming increasingly drawn out as the UK's tribunal system creaks.

From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2026

When it went to tribunal, the judge found the adjustments the person had asked for were "clearly going beyond what was necessary or reasonable".

From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2026

Jo Moseley from law firm Irwin Mitchell explains that when it comes to judging what is "reasonable", a tribunal would take into account factors like the person's role, and the size of the business.

From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2026

Still, you had to go by the book, in case of a tribunal later on.

From "Artemis Fowl" by Eoin Colfer

The court is the heir to the Nuremberg tribunals that tried Nazis after World War II.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 18, 2026

There's virtually no legal aid for employment tribunals.

From BBC ● May 20, 2026

Jean-Pierre van Zyl, partner and head of employment at Square One Law agrees tribunals will play an active role in shaping precedent.

From BBC ● Apr. 16, 2026

But, they’re committed on the high seas, so to the extent there’s jurisdiction at all, this falls under the authority of federal district court or federal military tribunals.

From Slate ● Apr. 16, 2026

My opposition to the disruption of the Union being notorious, I was summoned to appear before one of these august tribunals to answer the charge of being an abolitionist.

From The Iron Furnace Slavery and Secession by Aughey, John H.

Related Words

• board
• committee
• judge
• justice