kangaroo court
noun
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A kangaroo court has never been a court by or for kangaroos, but beyond that, little is known for sure about the term's origins. Various theories abound: it has been suggested that kangaroo courts got their name because they were initially marked by rapid and unpredictable movement from one place to another, or that they were in some way associated with "jumping" (i.e., illegally occupying) mining claims. These hypotheses are all unsubstantiated, however. What is known is that the first kangaroo courts originated in the United States at approximately the time of the 1849 California Gold Rush, and the word saw its earliest use in the southwestern U.S. It first turned up in print in 1853 in a book about Texas.
Examples of kangaroo court in a Sentence
Mac Engel
june 12, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 12 June 2026
At first glance, Objection seemed to be a kangaroo court catering to rich and infamous plaintiffs, the latest service in the lucrative sector of digital reputation management.
—Gary Baum, HollywoodReporter, 12 June 2026
Adames would have paid his playing-time penance (as well as a fine to the team’s kangaroo court — perhaps funding a postgame pizza party), and everyone would have moved on from the mistake.
—Dieter Kurtenbach, Mercury News, 15 May 2026
Following a trial described by international observers as a kangaroo court, they were sentenced to death on October 31, 1995.
—Noo Saro-Wiwa, The Dial, 24 Mar. 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Kangaroo court.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/kangaroo%20court. Accessed 14 Jun. 2026.
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