venue

American  

[ven-yoo] / ˈvɛn yu /

noun

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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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

When no Ubers accepted their requests, the couple said they "had no choice" but to start walking to the venue.

From BBC • Apr. 10, 2026

Ever since, the lawsuit has been mired in a dispute over whether Colorado courts were the correct venue, with the state Supreme Court ultimately ruling last May that they were.

From Salon • Apr. 10, 2026

The venue is scheduled to reopen Friday, he said.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 9, 2026

"ARMYs, there's talk of rain on Thursday, the day of the concert, and now that I'm here at the venue, it feels quite cold!"

From Barron's • Apr. 9, 2026

It was really classy, like something you might find at a semi-pro baseball stadium or some half-assed rock venue.

From "Anthem of a Reluctant Prophet" by Joanne Proulx

Related Words

• locale
• place
• setting
• site