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 of forum

• symposium
• seminar
• conference
• panel

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

Kirk, the founder of Turning Point USA, was fatally shot while answering a question during the outdoor forum attended by roughly 3,000 people. —Stepheny Price, FOXNews.com, 13 Jan. 2026

Advertisement This reality was evident at our September CEO forum, where two-thirds of the more than 70 top chief executives from major global companies do not expect to invest in domestic manufacturing or infrastructure because of the shift in trade policy. —Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, Time, 13 Jan. 2026

Both Republican and Democratic legislative leaders were invited to the forum, hosted by the Iowa Capitol Press Association. —Stephen Gruber-Miller, Des Moines Register, 12 Jan. 2026

Eight Democratic candidates appeared at a forum sponsored by SEIU United Service Workers West, which represents more than 45,000 janitors, security officers, airport service employees and other workers in California. —Seema Mehta, Los Angeles Times, 11 Jan. 2026

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