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

The panel was formalized in January and over the past four months the three-member subcommittee, made up of Vice Mayor Scott Anderson and Councilmembers Chuck Bongiovanni and Jim Torgeson, gave community activists a forum to express their frustrations as well as a place to come up with solutions. —Maritza Dominguez, The Arizona Republic, 19 Apr. 2024

The sheriff’s Republican primary opponent, Doug Bedford, a former undersheriff who also spoke at Saturday’s forum, has called on Hayden to show proof of his claim. —Sarah Ritter, Kansas City Star, 18 Apr. 2024

With women now turning to TikTok for information and as a vehicle for self-expression, the app has also become a forum for discussion. —Emily Schmall, New York Times, 17 Apr. 2024

Now companies can clarify the yearly rite’s objectives and tweak it to create a more fruitful forum. —Lila MacLellan, Fortune, 16 Apr. 2024

The rescue posted on the Pilots N Paws forum, searching for a volunteer pilot to quickly get the dog to her new home. —Kelli Bender, Peoplemag, 12 Apr. 2024

On online fan forums, a loose consensus formed that all these hints were leading to their obvious conclusion. —Avi Selk, Washington Post, 8 Apr. 2024

But increasingly, their own happiness is the topic of concern in veterinarian offices, dog parks, and internet forums. —Sarah Owermohle, STAT, 5 Apr. 2024

The forum for statements was supported by lawyers for the archdiocese, which includes about 480,000 Catholics in Baltimore and Allegany, Anne Arundel, Baltimore, Carroll, Frederick, Garrett, Harford, Howard and Washington counties. —Steve Thompson, Washington Post, 8 Apr. 2024

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

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