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

Although Judge Beverly Cannone asked for an earlier start than normal, court kicked off with a sidebar conference that lasted over a half-hour. —Michael Ruiz, FOXNews.com, 13 June 2025

Defense attorney Alan Jackson was just beginning to ask her for her medical opinions on what could have caused that damage — suggesting fists in a question that was objected to — when a sidebar was called and then the day ended. —Flint McColgan, Boston Herald, 9 June 2025

The ads appear in sidebars within the platform that expand only if clicked upon and can lead to user rewards. —ArsTechnica, 5 June 2025

Cannes festival director Thierry Frémaux promised that this year’s Un Certain Regard sidebar lineup would be more driven by narrative and genre than years past. —Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 15 May 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1928, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Rhymes for sidebar

• abattoir
• alcazar
• autocar
• avatar
• belshazzar
• caviar
• caviare
• cinnabar
• commissar
• condylar
• deodar
• handlebar

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