tribunal

American  

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

noun

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.

---

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

---

Etymology

Origin of tribunal

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

Example Sentences

Should it be deemed safe by a tribunal judge for him to leave hospital, he may then have to undergo further community treatment.

From BBC • Mar. 19, 2026

Judge Smith said this was because of insufficient evidence and the tribunal accepted Google's explanations, which were sufficiently supported by documentary and oral evidence.

From BBC • Mar. 10, 2026

Just months earlier, Venture Global won its case against Shell External link after a tribunal determined that Venture didn’t breach its liquefied natural gas supply contracts.

From Barron's • Mar. 2, 2026

In her ruling, the judge said Dapash should have taken the dispute to an environmental tribunal before going to court.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 28, 2026

After the war Orff claimed falsely at his de-Nazification tribunal that he had himself been involved in the founding of the White Rose movement.

From "The Story of Music" by Howard Goodall

Related Words

• board
• committee
• judge
• justice