sidebar

noun

side·​bar ˈsīd-ˌbär 

1

a

: a short news story or graphic accompanying and presenting sidelights of a major story

b

: something incidental : sidelight

a sidebar to the essay's central theme

2

: a conference between the judge, the lawyers, and sometimes the parties to a case that the jury does not hear

Examples of sidebar in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The app even has a left sidebar option under Media Types to show only raw photos, including the ProRaw format available on iPhone 12 Pro models and later (which combines the iPhone's image processing to create a quasi-raw format). — Michael Muchmore, PC Magazine, 29 June 2026

Iron Boy premiered in Cannes’ Un Certain Regard sidebar, where it was picked up by Sony Pictures Classics. — Scott Roxborough, HollywoodReporter, 27 June 2026

Instead of forcing users into a loud chat sidebar to ask for recommendations, the app uses AI to examine your favorite songs, genres, artists — as well as listeners with similar tastes. — Vinay Kuruvila, Forbes.com, 25 June 2026

The feature premieres at Annecy on Friday as part of the festival’s Official Selection – Annecy Presents sidebar. — Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 23 June 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1928, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Rhymes for sidebar

• abattoir
• alcazar
• autocar
• avatar
• belshazzar
• caviar
• caviare
• cinnabar
• commissar
• condylar
• deodar
• handlebar

Legal Definition

sidebar

noun

side·​bar ˈsīd-ˌbär 

: sidebar conference

had failed to request a sidebar before injecting the collateral offense into the trial

—Dockery v. State, 659 So. 2d 219 (1994)

also : the place near or before the bench where a sidebar conference takes place

the judge informed both attorneys…that they…could stand at sidebar while questions were posed

—Commonwealth v. Urena, 632 N.E.2d 1200 (1994)

compare bench, stand

sidebar adjective