forum

noun

fo·​rum ˈfȯr-əm 

plural forums also fora ˈfȯr-ə 

1

a

: the marketplace or public place of an ancient Roman city forming the center of judicial and public business

b

: a public meeting place for open discussion

The club provides a forum for people interested in local history.

c

: a medium (such as a newspaper or online service) of open discussion or expression of ideas

2

: a judicial body or assembly : court

3

a

: a public meeting or lecture involving audience discussion

The town has scheduled a public forum to discuss the proposal.

b

: a program (as on radio or television) involving discussion of a problem usually by several authorities

Synonyms

• colloquy
• conference
• council
• panel
• panel discussion
• parley
• round-robin
• roundtable
• seminar
• symposium

Examples of forum in a Sentence

Forums were held to determine how to handle the situation.

The town has scheduled a public forum to discuss the proposal.

The club provides a forum for people who share an interest in local history.

Recent Examples on the Web

On Tuesday, May 13, Trump's visit included a coffee ceremony, participation in a Saudi-U.S investment forum, a visit to a UNESCO World Heritage Site and an extravagant state dinner. —Kathryn Palmer, USA Today, 15 May 2025

Other news that came out of the forum included Nvidia’s plans to sell more than 18,000 of its latest AI chips to Saudi company Humain, and Saudia Arabia’s approval of Elon Musk’s Starlink for aviation and maritime use in the kingdom. —Josephine Rozzelle, CNBC, 14 May 2025

The Senate convened a series of AI insight forums that brought in experts from all sides. —Matt Robison, MSNBC Newsweek, 14 May 2025

During the forum, candidates Steve Games, Courtney LeBeau, Joanne Marks and Courtney Silberberg shared a bit about their vision for the Ranch and their takes on important issues that will face the community over their potential three-year terms. —Karen Billing, San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 May 2025

Word History

Etymology

Latin; akin to Latin foris outside, fores door — more at door

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Rhymes for forum

• aurum
• foram
• quorum
• decorum
• picloram
• pullorum
• digitorum
• neonatorum

Kids Definition

forum

noun

fo·​rum ˈfōr-əm 

ˈfȯr-

plural forums also fora -ə 

1

: the marketplace or public place of an ancient Roman city serving as the center of public business

2

: a means (as a newspaper or online service) of open discussion or expression of ideas

3

: a meeting or program involving discussion

Legal Definition

forum

noun

fo·​rum ˈfō-rəm 

1

: public forum

2

a

: a judicial body or assembly : court

allowed the defendant in a state court action to choose the federal forum by removing the case

—M. H. Redish

b

: the territorial jurisdiction of a court

due process requires defendant to have minimum level of contacts with forum before personal jurisdiction may be exercised

—National Law Journal