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Moot derives from gemōt, an Old English name for a judicial court. Originally, moot referred to either the court itself or an argument that might be debated by one. By the 16th century, the legal role of judicial moots had diminished, and the only remnant of them were moot courts, academic mock courts in which law students could try hypothetical cases for practice. Back then, moot was used as a synonym of debatable, but because the cases students tried in moot courts were simply academic exercises, the word gained the additional sense "deprived of practical significance." Some commentators still frown on using moot to mean "purely academic," but most editors now accept both senses as standard.
Synonyms
Examples of moot in a Sentence
Allan M. Brandt, The Cigarette Century, 2007
And the question of delight shouldn't be moot.
—Edward Hoagland, Harper's, June 2007
… a genuine Atlantic political culture might be the result—rendering the fears expressed in this article largely moot.
—John O'Sullivan, National Review, 6 Dec. 1999
The court ruled that the issue is now moot because the people involved in the dispute have died.
I think they were wrong, but the point is moot. Their decision has been made and it can't be changed now.
Verb
And it was they, not the British, who slapped down any suggestion of democratic reform when it was quietly mooted by British colonial officers in the 1950s.
—Ian Buruma, New Republic, 24 Sept. 2001
… he looked for an easy way out. A spot in the stateside Guard would have suited him fine; in the event, he dodged and weaved until a low draft number came along to moot his problem.
—Hendrik Hertzberg, New Yorker, 16 & 23 Oct. 2000
And then the word comes of Ted's inoperable pancreatic cancer, and death moots the long conflict.
—Richard Rhodes, New York Times Book Review, 24 Dec. 2000
conservatives had shouted down the proposal when it was first mooted
the issue of whether a person's nature or upbringing is more important continues to be mooted by experts and laymen alike
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Brian McCollum, Detroit Free Press, 9 Sep. 2023
Even if your income is well above those thresholds, direct indexing’s benefits will be moot if your main investing vehicle is an IRA or 401(k).
—E. Napoletano, wsj.com, 8 Sep. 2023
The judge overseeing Greene’s case ruled in her favor, while Cawthorn’s case became moot after he was defeated in his primary.
—Nicholas Riccardi, BostonGlobe.com, 31 Aug. 2023
But in February 1870, a group of four states ratified the constitutional amendment making New York’s change of mind and other debate moot.
—Time, 24 Aug. 2023
The issue is now moot and since no damage was done, no damages should be assessed, the brief said.
—Doug Ross, Chicago Tribune, 26 Aug. 2023
Her Queen Olga piece was moot, of course, since the paper had run the out-of-date May 2 account.
—Richard Byrne, The New Republic, 25 Aug. 2023
Once the Cowboys drafted Ezekiel Elliott with the fourth pick in 2016, the discussion was moot.
—Tim Cowlishaw, Dallas News, 13 Aug. 2023
But the plaintiff who started it all is now trying to dodge High Court review by claiming her case is moot.
—The Editorial Board, WSJ, 7 Aug. 2023
Jennifer Peltz, Anchorage Daily News, 6 Sep. 2023
In contrast to Omega CEO Raynald Aeschlimann’s initial reservations when Hayek first mooted the MoonSwatch, Marc Hayek, Blancpain CEO and Nick’s nephew, was apparently dogged in his determination to be next in line.
—Jeremy White, WIRED, 6 Sep. 2023
The administration’s motion said the lawsuit was mooted by the debt ceiling bill that Biden signed into law on June 3.
—Timothy Noah, The New Republic, 3 Aug. 2023
The European Union is mooting new legislation, said to come into effect in late 2024, to address this matter.
—John Hopewell, Variety, 3 Aug. 2023
Successive governments had carried on with fuel subsidy since its introduction in the 1970s but had also mooted deregulating the country’s oil sector.
—Nimi Princewill, CNN, 7 July 2023
Many major subreddits are now staying dark indefinitely, and some are mooting a switch to Discord or a fediverse-compatible Reddit rival like Lemmy.
—Bydavid Meyer, Fortune, 15 June 2023
Still, proponents of outsourcing say employing the help of allies offers a more immediate fix – and point out the US already outsources designs overseas; its Constellation-class frigates are based on an Italian design and Japan has been mooted as a possible source for future blueprints.
—Brad Lendon, CNN, 2 June 2023
One solution mooted to put an end to such attacks would be to ban short selling, which regulators did in 2008 as the financial crisis was erupting.
—Matthew Goldstein, New York Times, 4 May 2023
USA TODAY, 26 Aug. 2023
Legal experts began to speculate last month that the state court's reconsideration could make the Moore case before the Supreme Court moot, meaning no decision would be necessary.
—Kaelan Deese, Washington Examiner, 2 Mar. 2023
But Cannon's dismissal of the case rendered Trump's pending request for the unredacted affidavit moot.
—Melissa Quinn, CBS News, 12 Dec. 2022
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These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'moot.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Noun, Adjective, and Verb
Middle English, from Old English mōt, gemōt; akin to Middle High German muoze meeting
Adjective
1563, in the meaning defined at sense 1a
Verb
15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2
Noun
before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Phrases Containing moot
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Dictionary Entries Near moot
Cite this Entry
“Moot.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/moot. Accessed 23 Sep. 2023.
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Kids Definition
moot
1 of 2 verbmoot
2 of 2 adjective
Legal Definition
moot
1 of 2 transitive verbS. R. Sontagmoot
2 of 2 adjectiveAdjective
(of a trial or hearing) hypothetical, staged for practice, from moot hypothetical case for law students, argument, deliberative assembly, from Old English mōt assembly, meeting
More from Merriam-Webster on moot
Nglish: Translation of moot for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of moot for Arabic Speakers
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