appellate

adjective

ap·​pel·​late ə-ˈpe-lət 

: of, relating to, or recognizing appeals

specifically : having the power to review the judgment of another tribunal

an appellate court

Examples of appellate in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

But an appellate court panel put that decision on hold for the time being, allowing the facility to stay open. —CBS News, 18 Dec. 2025

The appellate judges turned aside the company’s argument that a federal law known as Section 230, which provides tech platforms that host content posted by others wide-ranging legal protections, barred a lawsuit. —David Ingram, NBC news, 17 Dec. 2025

The case, which is mirrored in other states including Illinois and Oregon, has provided a roller-coaster of rulings and counter-rulings, as lower court judges have issued orders that are then modified, overturned or paused by appellate courts. —Sharon Bernstein, Sacbee.com, 13 Dec. 2025

But after a district court paused the orders from taking effect, an appellate court overturned that union win. —Chris Isidore, CNN Money, 12 Dec. 2025

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Medieval Latin appellātus, past participle of appellāre "to appeal against a judgment," going back to Latin, "to speak to, address, apply to for support, refer to a higher authority" — more at appeal entry 2

First Known Use

1765, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for appellate

• chelate
• pellet
• prelate
• zealot

Kids Definition

appellate

adjective

ap·​pel·​late ə-ˈpel-ət 

: having the power to review the decisions of a lower court

an appellate court

Legal Definition

appellate

adjective

ap·​pel·​late ə-ˈpe-lət 

: of or relating to appeals or the power to hear appeals

the appellate process

an appellate court