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 Zurich Summit, the film industry sidebar of the Zurich Film Festival, is leaning into the city’s reputation as a global banking hub to strengthen its role as a discreet meeting point for financiers and filmmakers. —Scott Roxborough, HollywoodReporter, 25 Sep. 2025

The sidebar includes meetings, readings and presentations related to cinema and books for audiences of all ages held in October and November. —Nick Vivarelli, Variety, 24 Sep. 2025

The drama world premiered in the Venice Film Festival’s Orizzonti sidebar in 2024. —Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 23 Sep. 2025

The center’s initial focus was its market-style food pantry, which now aids about 300 local families, many from the immigrant and refugee community, along with providing other services, including a clothing closet, diaper bank and hygiene products (see sidebar). —Nicole Sours Larson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 20 Sep. 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