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

Directors‘ Fortnight, the independent sidebar competition that runs alongside the Cannes Film Festival, is adding a splash of star power to its 58th edition, alongside some major filmmaking names from the world of independent cinema. —Alex Ritman, Variety, 14 Apr. 2026

On Tuesday, new films from filmmakers from Romania’s Radu Jude to Russian exile Kantemir Balagov and the UK’s Clio Barnard were all announced as part of the independent Cannes sidebar’s slate of standout contemporary cinema. —Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 14 Apr. 2026

Contact and company info appear in a sidebar on the left, along with a link to email them. —Dianna Gunn, PC Magazine, 7 Apr. 2026

Stewart confronting Brunson in person, complete with X-ray evidence and a joke fracture name, is the type of sidebar that makes an already memorable playoff run even more unforgettable. —Ryan Brennan, Miami Herald, 31 Mar. 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