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

Laleh Marzban, who won Best Actress in Venice Film Festival’s Orizzonti sidebar, has become the subject of a harsh smear campaign by Islamic Republic state media over comments in her acceptance speech dedicating the prize to the women of Iran. — Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 16 Sep. 2026

This year’s Georgian submission for the Best International Feature Oscar, the film recently premiered in Venice’s Spotlight sidebar. — Jessica Kiang, Variety, 16 Sep. 2026

After its premiere in the Venice Spotlight sidebar, Hombre should make headways in Latin America but will have a harder time navigating international waters. — Jordan Mintzer, HollywoodReporter, 7 Sep. 2026

Lindsay Clancy’s defense team filed a motion to Judge William Sullivan on Friday asking that there be no more sidebars for the remainder of the triple-murder trial, and that all further proceedings be handled in open court. — Rebecca Cohen, NBC news, 4 Sep. 2026

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