forum

noun

fo·​rum ˈfȯr-əm 

plural forums also fora ˈfȯr-ə 

1

a

: the marketplace or public place of an ancient Roman city forming the center of judicial and public business

b

: a public meeting place for open discussion

The club provides a forum for people interested in local history.

c

: a medium (such as a newspaper or online service) of open discussion or expression of ideas

2

: a judicial body or assembly : court

3

a

: a public meeting or lecture involving audience discussion

The town has scheduled a public forum to discuss the proposal.

b

: a program (as on radio or television) involving discussion of a problem usually by several authorities

Synonyms

• colloquy
• conference
• council
• panel
• panel discussion
• parley
• round-robin
• roundtable
• seminar
• symposium

Examples of forum in a Sentence

Forums were held to determine how to handle the situation.

The town has scheduled a public forum to discuss the proposal.

The club provides a forum for people who share an interest in local history.

Recent Examples on the Web

The panel was formalized in January and over the past four months the three-member subcommittee, made up of Vice Mayor Scott Anderson and Councilmembers Chuck Bongiovanni and Jim Torgeson, gave community activists a forum to express their frustrations as well as a place to come up with solutions. —Maritza Dominguez, The Arizona Republic, 19 Apr. 2024

The sheriff’s Republican primary opponent, Doug Bedford, a former undersheriff who also spoke at Saturday’s forum, has called on Hayden to show proof of his claim. —Sarah Ritter, Kansas City Star, 18 Apr. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Latin; akin to Latin foris outside, fores door — more at door

First Known Use

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

Kids Definition

forum

noun

fo·​rum ˈfōr-əm 

ˈfȯr-

plural forums also fora -ə 

1

: the marketplace or public place of an ancient Roman city serving as the center of public business

2

: a means (as a newspaper or online service) of open discussion or expression of ideas

3

: a meeting or program involving discussion

Legal Definition

forum

noun

fo·​rum ˈfō-rəm 

1

: public forum

2

a

: a judicial body or assembly : court

allowed the defendant in a state court action to choose the federal forum by removing the case

—M. H. Redish

b

: the territorial jurisdiction of a court

due process requires defendant to have minimum level of contacts with forum before personal jurisdiction may be exercised

—National Law Journal