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To describe an argument as "moot" is to say that there's no point in discussing it further. In other words, a moot argument is one that has no practical or useful significance and is fit only for theoretical consideration, as in a classroom. It's no surprise, then, that the roots of moot are entwined with academia. The adjective moot followed a few centuries behind the noun moot, which comes from mōt, an Old English word meaning "assembly." Originally, moot referred to an Anglo-Saxon deliberative assembly that met primarily for the administration of justice. By the 16th century, functioning judicial moots had diminished, the only remnant being moot courts, academic mock courts in which law students could try hypothetical cases for practice. The earliest use of moot as an adjective was as a synonym of debatable, but because the cases students tried in moot courts had no bearing on the real world, the word gained the additional sense—used especially in North America—of "deprived of practical significance."
Examples of moot in a Sentence
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
Tim Lister, CNN Money, 28 Mar. 2026
Most recently, the Telegram messaging app has been slowed down and a ban has been mooted by authorities in the country, where it is widely used for both news and everyday information.
—Yuliya Talmazan, NBC news, 17 Mar. 2026
The most grinding suspicions encountered by many survivors—about whether they were ever really struck at all—may in any case be mooted in the coming years.
—Jacob Stern, The Atlantic, 16 Mar. 2026
The idea of funding universities with a graduate tax has been mooted since the 1960s, when economists pointed out that a relatively small group of people were getting an expensive benefit paid for out of general taxation.
—The Week Uk, TheWeek, 1 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for moot
Cite this Entry
“Moot.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/moot. Accessed 11 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
moot
1 of 2 verb
moot
2 of 2 adjectiveLegal Definition
moot
1 of 2 transitive verbS. R. Sontagmoot
2 of 2 adjective(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
