courthouse

noun

court·​house ˈkȯrt-ˌhau̇s 

1

a

: a building in which courts of law are regularly held

b

: the principal building in which county offices are housed

2

: county seat

Examples of courthouse in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Video of unidentified men detaining suspect raises civil liberties fears A video showing a man being hauled away from a Virginia courthouse raises new questions about how federal immigration agents are operating. —Nicole Fallert, USA Today, 29 Apr. 2025

Access to Justice Is Not Optional At the heart of the American legal system lies a basic guarantee: anyone within U.S. territory—citizen or non-citizen, guilty or innocent—must have the right to enter a courthouse and seek the protection of the law without fear of immediate arrest. —Andy J. Semotiuk, Forbes.com, 28 Apr. 2025

The man was taken into custody outside the courthouse after agents chased him on foot. —Alanna Durkin Richer, Los Angeles Times, 27 Apr. 2025

He was eventually arrested outside the courthouse after a brief foot chase. —Louis Casiano, FOXNews.com, 26 Apr. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Rhymes for courthouse

• alehouse
• almshouse
• backhouse
• baghouse
• bakehouse
• bathhouse
• bauhaus
• blockhouse
• boathouse
• brewhouse
• bunkhouse
• clubhouse

Kids Definition

courthouse

noun

court·​house ˈkō(ə)rt-ˌhau̇s 

ˈkȯ(ə)rt-

: a building in which courts of law are held or county offices are located

Legal Definition

courthouse

noun

court·​house

: a building in which court is regularly held