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

Dale Ellis covers the federal courthouse beat for the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, reporting on criminal and civil matters that impact Arkansans. —Arkansas Online, 23 Oct. 2025

In February 2025, a man walked out of the courthouse as a jury deliberated its verdict in the case against him. —Noe Padilla, IndyStar, 21 Oct. 2025

The Tuesday administrative order from the court bars civil arrests, without a warrant, of a party or witness to proceedings at the local courthouse, within and around any of the Cook County courthouses. —Jack Birle, The Washington Examiner, 18 Oct. 2025

The executive director of that nonprofit, Amy Ronshausen, entered and left the courthouse with a lawyer on Tuesday. —Lawrence Mower, Miami Herald, 18 Oct. 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