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

The film will also close this year’s Cannes Directors’ Fortnight, the sidebar that regularly honors boundary-pushing filmmakers. —Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 1 May 2025

The main sidebar has five tabs that open spacious menus: Open, Scan, Compare, Recent, and Mobile Application. —PC Magazine, 30 Apr. 2025

Hugh keynotes the industry sidebar later today before the likes of Doctor Who producer Jane Tranter and The Bureau creator Éric Rochant. —Max Goldbart, Deadline, 25 Apr. 2025

The Directors’ Fortnight, the Cannes film festival independent sidebar focused on cutting-edge, auteur cinema, has unveiled its 2025 lineup. —Scott Roxborough, HollywoodReporter, 15 Apr. 2025

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