venue

American  

[ven-yoo] / ˈvɛn ju /

noun

venues plural

1. Law.

   1. the place of a crime or cause of action.

   2. the county or place where the jury is gathered and the cause tried.

   3. the designation, in the pleading, of the jurisdiction where a trial will be held.

   4. the statement naming the place and person before whom an affidavit was sworn.

2. the scene or locale of any action or event.

3. the position taken by a person engaged in argument or debate; ground.

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venue British  

/ ˈvɛnjuː /

noun

1. law

   1. the place in which a cause of action arises

   2. the place fixed for the trial of a cause

   3. the locality from which the jurors must be summoned to try a particular cause

2. a meeting place

3. any place where an organized gathering, such as a rock concert or public meeting, is held

4. a position in an argument

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• venues
  plural

Etymology

Origin of venue

1300–50; Middle English venue an attack < Middle French: literally, a coming, Old French, feminine past participle of venir to come < Vulgar Latin *venūta, for Latin venta, equivalent to ven ( īre ) to come + -ta feminine past participle suffix

Explanation

A venue is the place where an event or meeting is happening. If you're going to see the best band ever, you should get to the venue early to get a good seat. Venue is derived from the Latin for "come" (venire), and it's a place people come to. Another meaning of venue is specific to the law as the place where a trial will be held, and the area from which the jury will be selected. If you're on trial for stealing, and you're known around town as "Sticky Fingers Magoo," your lawyer would wisely request a change of venue to give you a better shot at a fair trial.

Example Sentences

The couple decided on Madison Square Garden, per the rumors, after a failed attempt to secure a venue near Swift’s Rhode Island estate.

From Salon • Jul. 9, 2026

However, Fiji shocked the same venue with a 30-22 win in the build-up to the 2023 Rugby World Cup, before running England close in a bruising 30-24 defeat in the last eight of the tournament.

From BBC • Jul. 9, 2026

An enclosed venue gives you the ability to host major concerts, conventions and other events that simply aren’t practical in an open-air stadium.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jul. 8, 2026

He pointed out the garbage was from outside the barriers that surrounded Madison Square Garden for Swift's wedding, not from inside the venue.

From Barron's • Jul. 8, 2026

It was all exciting, but she was experiencing something unusual as she made her way to the venue.

From "Just Mercy" by Bryan Stevenson

Related Words

• locale
• place
• setting
• site