courthouse

noun

court·​house ˈkȯrt-ˌhau̇s 

1

a

: a building in which courts of law are regularly held

b

: the principal building in which county offices are housed

2

: county seat

Examples of courthouse in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Throughout the country, attorneys speak to clients and unrepresented parties in courthouse hallways, lobbies and out-of-session courtrooms about their rights and options, the ACLU of Colorado wrote to Kaufman. —Lauren Penington, Denver Post, 9 July 2025

Amira and Richard had three different ceremonies in the fall of 2023: A traditional celebration in Houston honoring her Sierra Leonean and his Liberian heritage, a courthouse wedding, also in Houston, and the ultimate finale, a destination wedding in Portugal. —Essence, 9 July 2025

One year after secretly marrying in a New York City courthouse, Justin Bieber and Hailey Bieber tied the knot again in front of family and friends on Sept. 30, 2019. —Daniela Avila, People.com, 9 July 2025

Vendors sold refreshments while crowds gathered on the courthouse lawn. —Nell Greenfieldboyce, NPR, 8 July 2025

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Rhymes for courthouse

• alehouse
• almshouse
• backhouse
• baghouse
• bakehouse
• bathhouse
• bauhaus
• blockhouse
• boathouse
• brewhouse
• bunkhouse
• clubhouse

Kids Definition

courthouse

noun

court·​house ˈkō(ə)rt-ˌhau̇s 

ˈkȯ(ə)rt-

: a building in which courts of law are held or county offices are located

Legal Definition

courthouse

noun

court·​house

: a building in which court is regularly held