supreme court

noun

often capitalized S&C

1

: the highest judicial tribunal in a political unit (such as a nation or state)

2

: a court of original jurisdiction in New York state subordinate to a final court of appeals

Examples of supreme court in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Related: Supreme Court to decide if challenge to Illinois' grace period for mail-in ballots can proceed Pennsylvania Democrats countered that the 2024 ruling by the state supreme court was consistent with the text of state election law and with the intent of the legislators who set the rules. —Maureen Groppe, USA Today, 7 June 2025

In a statement, Cuba’s supreme court said the two violated the terms of their release and local courts revoked their parole. —Nora Gámez Torres, Miami Herald, 29 Apr. 2025

Opposition parties, civil-society groups, ex-generals, and other citizens filed suit, asking the supreme court to block Bar’s dismissal. —Gershom Gorenberg, The Atlantic, 25 Apr. 2025

However, Kobach acknowledged to The Star that his office did not perform an analysis of the 49 other state supreme courts to determine whether Kansas’ overturn rate of 87.5% in recent decades was in fact the highest. —Jonathan Shorman, Kansas City Star, 19 Mar. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1686, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for supreme court

• abort
• airport
• alport
• athwart
• carport
• comport
• consort
• deport
• distort
• escort
• exhort
• extort

Kids Definition

supreme court

noun

: the highest court in a political unit (as the U.S. or one of its states)

Legal Definition

supreme court

noun

su·​preme court

1

: the highest court in a nation or state

specifically, capitalized S&C : the highest court in the judicial branch of the U.S. government that has original jurisdiction over controversies involving ambassadors or other ministers or consuls but whose main activity is as the court of last resort exercising appellate jurisdiction over cases involving federal law

2

capitalized S&C : a court of original jurisdiction in New York

Note: The court of last resort in New York is the Court of Appeals.