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Moot derives from gemōt, an Old English name for a judicial court. Originally, moot referred to either the court itself or an argument that might be debated by one. By the 16th century, the legal role of judicial moots had diminished, and the only remnant of them were moot courts, academic mock courts in which law students could try hypothetical cases for practice. Back then, moot was used as a synonym of debatable, but because the cases students tried in moot courts were simply academic exercises, the word gained the additional sense "deprived of practical significance." Some commentators still frown on using moot to mean "purely academic," but most editors now accept both senses as standard.
Synonyms
Examples of moot in a Sentence
Allan M. Brandt, The Cigarette Century, 2007
And the question of delight shouldn't be moot.
—Edward Hoagland, Harper's, June 2007
… a genuine Atlantic political culture might be the result—rendering the fears expressed in this article largely moot.
—John O'Sullivan, National Review, 6 Dec. 1999
The court ruled that the issue is now moot because the people involved in the dispute have died.
I think they were wrong, but the point is moot. Their decision has been made and it can't be changed now.
Verb
And it was they, not the British, who slapped down any suggestion of democratic reform when it was quietly mooted by British colonial officers in the 1950s.
—Ian Buruma, New Republic, 24 Sept. 2001
… he looked for an easy way out. A spot in the stateside Guard would have suited him fine; in the event, he dodged and weaved until a low draft number came along to moot his problem.
—Hendrik Hertzberg, New Yorker, 16 & 23 Oct. 2000
And then the word comes of Ted's inoperable pancreatic cancer, and death moots the long conflict.
—Richard Rhodes, New York Times Book Review, 24 Dec. 2000
conservatives had shouted down the proposal when it was first mooted
the issue of whether a person's nature or upbringing is more important continues to be mooted by experts and laymen alike
Sammy Roth, Los Angeles Times, 2 Apr. 2024
New Repayment Plans Unlock Even More Forgiveness The Saving on a Valuable Education (SAVE) Plan for federal student loans has also made it so student loan forgiveness is a moot point for millions of borrowers.
—Robert Farrington, Forbes, 27 Mar. 2024
For that reason, the Supreme Court declared the case moot and vacated, or undid, a lower-court ruling deeming the policy constitutional.
—Rachel Weiner, Washington Post, 4 Mar. 2024
The court battle will likely be rendered moot thanks to the U.S. Supreme Court taking up the same question in an upcoming case.
—Anders Hagstrom, Fox News, 29 Feb. 2024
The decision was rendered moot by the Copyright Act of 1909, which said that makers of piano rolls did owe royalties.
—Alex Reisner, The Atlantic, 29 Feb. 2024
Jonathan Drake / Reuters file HB 2 — which was later partially repealed in 2017 — also prevented local governments from passing LGBTQ nondiscrimination measures and rendered then-existing protections, including one in Charlotte, moot.
—Matt Lavietes, NBC News, 3 Feb. 2024
The gist of the moot case was this: After gaining its independence in 2010, the country of Candidia found a foothold in the burgeoning space economy of the 2020s.
—Khari Johnson, WIRED, 24 Jan. 2024
The offer, which Altman accepted, ultimately became moot when he was restored to his throne at OpenAI.
—Kylie Robison, Fortune, 19 Mar. 2024
Lawrence Wintermeyer, Forbes, 27 Mar. 2024
Enlarge / Artist's conception of Microsoft marching toward a final Activision deal after mooting competition concerns from Sony and the FTC.
—Kyle Orland, Ars Technica, 17 July 2023
Perhaps wary of such a decision’s potential impact, the Trump administration has apparently been hard at work trying to moot the case by arranging to transfer Doe to foreign custody—possibly, given his dual citizenship, to Saudi Arabia.
—Stephen I. Vladeck, Foreign Affairs, 12 Feb. 2018
The temporary street circuit in St. Petersburg, Florida, was mooted as an alternative before the series settled on Portland, Oregon, a move announced at the end of last year.
—Jonathan M. Gitlin, Ars Technica, 28 July 2023
That was about the time that the idea of Wonka was beginning to be mooted.
—Brian Davids, The Hollywood Reporter, 8 Dec. 2023
Google’s decision to eliminate the hidden code that allows marketers to track users’ web activities has been mooted for years.
—Simon Bird, Forbes, 29 Nov. 2023
United Auto Workers President Shawn Fain said Friday that the union's ongoing strike against Detroit's Big Three automakers is securing vital concessions, mooting the need to expand the work stoppage — at least for now.
—Khristopher J. Brooks, CBS News, 6 Oct. 2023
There have been subsequent discussions about revisiting the issue, but there seems to be no appetite to do so, and in any case, Li’s removal would moot the issue, officials said.
—Cate Cadell, Washington Post, 15 Sep. 2023
USA TODAY, 26 Aug. 2023
Legal experts began to speculate last month that the state court's reconsideration could make the Moore case before the Supreme Court moot, meaning no decision would be necessary.
—Kaelan Deese, Washington Examiner, 2 Mar. 2023
But Cannon's dismissal of the case rendered Trump's pending request for the unredacted affidavit moot.
—Melissa Quinn, CBS News, 12 Dec. 2022
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'moot.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Noun, Adjective, and Verb
Middle English, from Old English mōt, gemōt; akin to Middle High German muoze meeting
Adjective
1563, in the meaning defined at sense 1a
Verb
15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2
Noun
before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Phrases Containing moot
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Cite this Entry
“Moot.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/moot. Accessed 16 Apr. 2024.
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Kids Definition
moot
1 of 2 verbmoot
2 of 2 adjective
Legal Definition
moot
1 of 2 transitive verbS. R. Sontagmoot
2 of 2 adjectiveAdjective
(of a trial or hearing) hypothetical, staged for practice, from moot hypothetical case for law students, argument, deliberative assembly, from Old English mōt assembly, meeting
More from Merriam-Webster on moot
Nglish: Translation of moot for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of moot for Arabic Speakers
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