court-mar·tial
ˈkȯrt-ˌmär-shəl 
-ˈmär-
plural courts-martial also court-martials
1
: a court consisting of commissioned officers and in some instances enlisted personnel for the trial of members of the armed forces or others within its jurisdiction
2
: a trial by court-martial
court-martialed also court-martialled; court-martialing also court-martialling
ˈkȯrt-ˌmär-sh(ə-)liŋ
-ˈmär-
: to subject to trial by court-martial
Examples of court-martial in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Luis Martinez, ABC News, 20 Sep. 2024
Rather unsurprisingly, the story ends badly, with a full-on Navy investigation and court-martial.
—Nate Anderson, Ars Technica, 5 Sep. 2024
After hundreds of interviews, Peers recommended courts-martial for Calley and 24 others, including Maj. Gen. Samuel W. Koster, who had left Vietnam to become superintendent of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point.
—Steve Chawkins, Los Angeles Times, 30 July 2024
He was convicted on March 29, 1971, after one of the longest court-martials in military history.
—Adam Bernstein, Washington Post, 29 July 2024
See all Example Sentences for court-martial 
Noun
If the judge does not accept the guilty plea, the judge can rule that the case be litigated in a contested court-martial.
—Luis Martinez, ABC News, 20 Sep. 2024
Rather unsurprisingly, the story ends badly, with a full-on Navy investigation and court-martial.
—Nate Anderson, Ars Technica, 5 Sep. 2024
After hundreds of interviews, Peers recommended courts-martial for Calley and 24 others, including Maj. Gen. Samuel W. Koster, who had left Vietnam to become superintendent of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point.
—Steve Chawkins, Los Angeles Times, 30 July 2024
He was convicted on March 29, 1971, after one of the longest court-martials in military history.
—Adam Bernstein, Washington Post, 29 July 2024
See all Example Sentences for court-martial
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'court-martial.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Articles Related to court-martial
Video
Is It 'Attorney Generals' Or 'Attorneys General'?
'Poets laureate'? 'Court-martials'? The curious history of postpositive adjectives in English.
Dictionary Entries Near court-martial
Cite this Entry
“Court-martial.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/court-martial. Accessed 5 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share