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

From there, the county landed on a spot in the middle of the parking lot behind the courthouse, proposing a central square be made around the tree in that location, a pitch that has generated some pushback from board members. —Molly Morrow, Chicago Tribune, 16 Apr. 2026

Outside the courthouse Wednesday, Schettino's mother Lynn spoke about her son and called for justice. —Aaron Parseghian, CBS News, 15 Apr. 2026

While Mellone’s case involves two families, another dozen people whose citizenship claims were stopped by the law were present outside the courthouse in solidarity. —ABC News, 14 Apr. 2026

Sherrone and Kelli Moore left the courthouse holding hands but did not answer any questions from reporters. —David K. Li, NBC news, 14 Apr. 2026

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