trial court

noun

: the court before which issues of fact and law are first determined as distinguished from an appellate court

Examples of trial 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.
Trump on Tuesday appealed to the Appellate Division of New York's trial court, seeking to halt the proceedings still set to move forward on Friday. Kevin Lynn, Newsweek, 8 Jan. 2025 His initial appearance in New York’s state trial court was preempted by federal prosecutors bringing their own charges over the shooting. Michael R. Sisak and Jake Offenhartz, Los Angeles Times, 23 Dec. 2024 Trump became the first former president convicted of a crime when in May he was found guilty of the charges in Manhattan Supreme Court — a state-level trial court. Dan Mangan, CNBC, 17 Dec. 2024 Ohio's criminal sentencing system allows trial court judges to give people convicted of multiple crimes sentences that run either concurrently or consecutively. Laura A. Bischoff, The Enquirer, 2 Nov. 2024 See all Example Sentences for trial court 

Word History

First Known Use

1889, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of trial court was in 1889

Dictionary Entries Near trial court

Cite this Entry

“Trial court.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/trial%20court. Accessed 20 Jan. 2025.

Legal Definition

trial court

noun
: the court before which issues of fact and law are tried and first determined as distinguished from an appellate court

More from Merriam-Webster on trial court

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!