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

Example Sentences

She claimed this included swapping her successful client account with a failing one, demoting her on a big internal project, and trying to downgrade her performance, the tribunal heard.

From BBC • Mar. 10, 2026

Millions of UK PlayStation users have been victims of "excessive and unfair" download charges, a tribunal has heard.

From BBC • Mar. 10, 2026

They mowed it, raked it and planted herbs and wildflowers, a London tribunal heard.

From BBC • Mar. 8, 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

So, on July 2, President Roosevelt issued a proclamation to establish a military tribunal under the Military Code of Justice.

From Nazi Saboteurs by Samantha Seiple

Related Words

• board
• committee
• judge
• justice