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 rallies, signature-gathering campaigns, and online forums indicate something of a consensus across gender, age, class, and political affiliation. —E. Tammy Kim, The New Yorker, 15 Dec. 2024

Stay informed: Monitor local news and neighborhood forums to stay updated on theft patterns. —Josh Max, Forbes, 14 Dec. 2024

This matches with a frequent meme posted to Bills forums, including on Reddit: Josh Allen is the only quarterback in NFL history. —Harry Enten, CNN, 13 Dec. 2024

The forum, which runs through Friday, includes several working sessions, panels, and roundtables covering topics pertaining to the country's Arctic agenda such as telecommunications, environmental issues, indigenous communities, investment, technology, fisheries, and naval capabilities. —Mandy Taheri, Newsweek, 12 Dec. 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