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 comments sidebar will open on the right-hand side of your page on desktop, or as an overlay on mobile. —The Editors, Outside, 15 Dec. 2025

The prosecution objected, leading to a sidebar. —Penny Kmitt, CBS News, 10 Dec. 2025

The film also bears the laurels of Un Certain Regard, as does Colombia’s selection, A Poet, which won the sidebar’s Jury Prize. —Damon Wise, Deadline, 6 Dec. 2025

After sidebar Tipton confirms that disgraced former Massachusetts State Police Trooper Michael Proctor was assigned as case officer on Jan. 8, 2023. —Flint McColgan, Boston Herald, 5 Dec. 2025

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