criminal court

noun

: a court that has jurisdiction to try and punish offenders against criminal law

Examples of criminal court in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Suspected assassin Luigi Mangione returns to a New York criminal court Friday for a hearing in connection with state murder and terrorism charges in a sprawling case surrounding the assassination-style murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in Manhattan. Michael Ruiz, Fox News, 21 Feb. 2025 Emil Bove, attorney for former US President Donald Trump, attends at Manhattan criminal court in New York, US, on Friday, Jan. 10, 2025. Dan Mangan, CNBC, 14 Feb. 2025 Fort Worth City Hall and county criminal courts already implement similar security measures. Cody Copeland, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 4 Feb. 2025 Unlike in criminal courts, noncitizens do not have access to free counsel, but have a right to a lawyer to represent them. Rachel Uranga, Los Angeles Times, 1 Feb. 2025 See All Example Sentences for criminal court

Word History

First Known Use

1605, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of criminal court was in 1605

Cite this Entry

“Criminal court.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/criminal%20court. Accessed 18 Mar. 2025.

Legal Definition

criminal court

noun
: a court that has jurisdiction to try criminal defendants

More from Merriam-Webster on criminal court

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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