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.

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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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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

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

A tribunal found Kerley was "negligent and, to a certain extent, reckless" in not adhering to anti-doping regulations, after the American recorded three whereabouts failures between 11 May and 6 December 2024.

From BBC • Mar. 6, 2026

The three doctors have all been suspended from practising medicine pending the determination of their cases by a disciplinary tribunal.

From BBC • Mar. 4, 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

The military tribunal would be composed of seven generals to serve as the judges, with President Roosevelt presiding over the proceedings.

From Nazi Saboteurs by Samantha Seiple

Related Words

• board
• committee
• judge
• justice