court-mar·tial
ˈkȯrt-ˌmär-shəl 
-ˈmär-
plural courts-martial also court-martials
1
: a court consisting of commissioned officers and in some instances enlisted personnel for the trial of members of the armed forces or others within its jurisdiction
2
: a trial by court-martial
court-martialed also court-martialled; court-martialing also court-martialling
ˈkȯrt-ˌmär-sh(ə-)liŋ
-ˈmär-
: to subject to trial by court-martial
Examples of court-martial in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
CBS News, 19 Dec. 2025
This has created the problem of unlawful command influence, the improper use of superior authority to interfere with the court-martial process.
—Joshua Kastenberg, The Conversation, 16 Dec. 2025
Hegseth announced via social media that Kelly could face court-martial proceedings—a public threat before any formal investigation.
—Nicholas Creel, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 Dec. 2025
The witness testimony that wasn’t allowed in Leavenworth County court was admitted into the court-martial, per Stars and Stripes.
—Pj Green, Kansas City Star, 10 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for court-martial
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Noun
Quornelius Radford, 28, is scheduled to appear in a courtroom at Fort Stewart a week after Army prosecutors referred his case to a general court-martial, which handles cases involving the most serious crimes under military law.
—CBS News, 19 Dec. 2025
This has created the problem of unlawful command influence, the improper use of superior authority to interfere with the court-martial process.
—Joshua Kastenberg, The Conversation, 16 Dec. 2025
Hegseth announced via social media that Kelly could face court-martial proceedings—a public threat before any formal investigation.
—Nicholas Creel, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 Dec. 2025
The witness testimony that wasn’t allowed in Leavenworth County court was admitted into the court-martial, per Stars and Stripes.
—Pj Green, Kansas City Star, 10 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for court-martial
Video
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'Poets laureate'? 'Court-martials'? The curious history of postpositive adjectives in English.
Cite this Entry
“Court-martial.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/court-martial. Accessed 23 Dec. 2025.
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