sidebar

noun

side·​bar ˈsīd-ˌbär 

1

a

: a short news story or graphic accompanying and presenting sidelights of a major story

b

: something incidental : sidelight

a sidebar to the essay's central theme

2

: a conference between the judge, the lawyers, and sometimes the parties to a case that the jury does not hear

Examples of sidebar in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Watch on Deadline Mubarak previously made waves with debut film Autobiography, which premiered in Venice’s Horizons sidebar in 2022, winning the Fipresci jury prize. —Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 12 Dec. 2024

Next Step works hand-in-hand with Critics Week, a sidebar dedicated to first and second films which runs alongside the Cannes Film Festival. —Elsa Keslassy, Variety, 6 Dec. 2024

But just before the hearing’s start, Dickinson called both attorneys in for a brief sidebar, according to a motion filed by defense lawyer Annie Beles. —Nate Gartrell, The Mercury News, 7 Nov. 2024

Clicking on the Sources link pops open a handy sidebar with links and previews of Google has some similar links, but they’re pushed way far down the page. —John Koetsier, Forbes, 2 Nov. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1928, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Legal Definition

sidebar

noun

side·​bar ˈsīd-ˌbär 

: sidebar conference

had failed to request a sidebar before injecting the collateral offense into the trial

—Dockery v. State, 659 So. 2d 219 (1994)

also : the place near or before the bench where a sidebar conference takes place

the judge informed both attorneys…that they…could stand at sidebar while questions were posed

—Commonwealth v. Urena, 632 N.E.2d 1200 (1994)

compare bench, stand

sidebar adjective