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

Lake and the Trump administration won an appellate court ruling earlier this summer that knocked down some of Judge Lamberth's rulings against her actions at the agency. —David Folkenflik, NPR, 6 Aug. 2025

But state appellate courts repeatedly have questioned this practice in legal rulings, suggesting the state Supreme Court reconsider the issue. —Robert McCoppin, Chicago Tribune, 5 Aug. 2025

However, an appellate court reversed, holding that because baseball was not interstate commerce (generally a predicate for the application of federal legislation), the Sherman Act did not apply. —Chris Deubert, Forbes.com, 5 Aug. 2025

However, the appellate court reversed that approval in 2024 due to concerns about the company’s financing, and the case is now before the Illinois Supreme Court. —Catrina Barker, The Washington Examiner, 3 Aug. 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