court
noun /kɔːt/
/kɔːrt/
Idioms - [countable, uncountable] the place where legal trials take place and where crimes, etc. are judged
- the civil/criminal courts
- Her lawyer made a statement outside the court.
- in court Relatives of the dead girl were in court.
- She will appear in court tomorrow.
- to court They took their landlord to court for breaking the contract.
- The case took five years to come to court (= to be heard by the court).
- There wasn't enough evidence to bring the case to court (= start a trial).
- out of court The case was settled out of court (= a decision was reached without a trial).
- He won the court case and was awarded damages.
- She can't pay her tax and is facing court action.
- During the court hearing, the prosecutor said she would seek maximum prison sentences.
Which Word? court / law court / court of lawcourt / law court / court of lawsee also courthouse, courtroom- All these words can be used to refer to a place where legal trials take place. Court and (formal) court of law usually refer to the actual room where cases are judged. Courtroom is also used for this. Law court (British English) is more often used to refer to the building:
- The prison is opposite the law court.
Wordfinder- abide by something
- court
- crime
- justice
- law
- legal
- police
- prosecute
- punish
- trial
Collocations Criminal justiceCriminal justiceBreaking the law- break/violate/obey/uphold the law
- be investigated/arrested/tried for a crime/a robbery/fraud
- be arrested/ (especially North American English) indicted/convicted on charges of rape/fraud/(especially US English) felony charges
- be arrested on suspicion of arson/robbery/shoplifting
- be accused of/be charged with murder/(especially North American English) homicide/four counts of fraud
- face two charges of indecent assault
- admit your guilt/liability/responsibility (for something)
- deny the allegations/claims/charges
- confess to a crime
- grant/be refused/be released on/skip/jump bail
- stand/await/bring somebody to/come to/be on trial
- take somebody to/come to/settle something out of court
- face/avoid/escape prosecution
- seek/retain/have the right to/be denied access to legal counsel
- hold/conduct/attend/adjourn a hearing/trial
- sit on/influence/persuade/convince the jury
- sit/stand/appear/be put/place somebody in the dock
- plead guilty/not guilty to a crime
- be called to/enter (British English) the witness box
- take/put somebody on the stand/(North American English) the witness stand
- call/subpoena/question/cross-examine a witness
- give/hear the evidence against/on behalf of somebody
- raise/withdraw/overrule an objection
- reach a unanimous/majority verdict
- return/deliver/record a verdict of not guilty/unlawful killing/accidental death
- convict/acquit the defendant of the crime
- secure a conviction/your acquittal
- lodge/file an appeal
- appeal (against)/challenge/uphold/overturn a conviction/verdict
- pass sentence on somebody
- carry/face/serve a seven-year/life sentence
- receive/be given the death penalty
- be sentenced to ten years (in prison/jail)
- carry/impose/pay a fine (of $3 000)/a penalty (of 14 years imprisonment)
- be imprisoned/jailed for drug possession/fraud/murder
- do/serve time/ten years
- be sent to/put somebody in/be released from jail/prison
- be/put somebody/spend X years on death row
- be granted/be denied/break (your) parole
British/American at / in schoolat / in school- In British English somebody who is attending school is at school:
- I was at school with her sister.
- I have a ten-year-old in school.
Culture the legal systemthe legal systemFor historical reasons, the system of law used in Scotland is different from that in England and Wales, with the law in Northern Ireland similar to that in England. When making decisions Scottish courts look for an appropriate general principle and apply it to a particular situation. English law relies on case law, a collection of previous decisions, called precedents. English courts look at precedents for the case being tried and make a similar judgement. A basic principle of law in Britain is that anyone accused is innocent until proven guilty, so it is the job of the prosecution to prove beyond reasonable doubt that the defendant (= the person accused) has broken the law as stated in the charge. If this cannot be proved the person must be acquitted (= allowed to go free, with no blame attached).British law is divided into civil law which concerns arguments between individuals about matters such as business contracts, and criminal law which deals with offences that involve harm to a person resulting from somebody breaking the law. In civil cases, the plaintiff (= the person who claims to have been wronged) brings an action against the defendant in the hope of winning damages (= a financial payment) or an injunction (= a court order preventing the defendant from doing something). Criminal cases are brought against criminals by the state, in England and Wales by the Director of Public Prosecutions and in Scotland through procurators fiscal.In England and Wales most towns have a Magistrates' Court, where minor cases are judged and more serious cases are passed to higher courts by three magistrates called Justices of the Peace, trained members of the public. The more serious cases are heard in a Crown Court by a judge and a jury. Minor civil cases, such as divorce and bankruptcy, are heard in the county courts and more serious ones in the High Court. Appeals against decisions from the Crown Court or the High Court go to the Court of Appeal and a few cases, where a question of law is in doubt, are passed to the Supreme Court, which has replaced the House of Lords as the highest court in the country.In Scotland, criminal cases are heard in District Courts by members of the public called lay justices. More serious cases go to regional sheriff courts and are heard by the sheriff and a jury. Appeals go to the High Court of Justiciary in Edinburgh. Civil cases begin in the sheriff court and may go on appeal to the Court of Session.In the US, the judicial system is one of the three branches of the federal government, but the legal system operates at many levels with state, county and city courts as well as federal courts. The right to trial by jury is provided by the Constitution. Each type of court has its own jurisdiction, that is, it deals with certain kinds of cases. Both civil and criminal cases are first heard in trial courts and there is a right to appeal against the court's decision in a court of appeals. Many states have family courts where people get divorced and small claims courts which deal with small amounts of money. States also have trial courts, which hear a wider range of cases, and courts of appeal called superior courts or district courts. Most states have a Supreme Court where the most serious appeals are held. States have their own criminal code, but some crimes are federal offences (= against federal law), and crimes may fall under federal jurisdiction if more than one state is involved.Most courts have only one judge, but some higher courts have several. In the US Supreme Court, the nine judges are called justices. The people on either side of a case are represented by lawyers, also called attorneys. In a criminal trial the defendant is represented by a defense attorney, or if he or she is unable to pay a lawyer, the court will appoint a public defender. The prosecution is led by an assistant district attorney or, in federal cases, by a federal attorney.Extra ExamplesTopics Law and justiceb1, Buildingsb1- Court documents showing illegal transactions were released to the press.
- Court was adjourned for the weekend.
- Divorce no longer requires a court appearance.
- He received a court summons for non-payment of tax.
- He should be tried at the International Court in the Hague.
- He will appear in court tomorrow charged with the murder.
- Once a lawsuit is filed, a court date is set.
- She should seek damages through the civil courts.
- The banks may decide to appeal to a higher court.
- The case should not be allowed to go to court.
- The case was appealed to a higher court.
- The case will be tried before a criminal court.
- The dispute was settled out of court.
- Their neighbours took them to court.
- There wasn't enough evidence to bring the case to court.
- They are likely to end up in divorce court.
- They could now face a court battle for compensation.
- This is the highest court in the country.
- We are prepared to go to court to get our compensation.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- civil
- criminal
- Appeals Court
- …
- go to
- take somebody/something to
- come to
- …
- hear something
- acquit somebody
- clear somebody
- …
- bailiff
- clerk
- judge
- …
- at court
- before a/the court
- in court
- …
- contempt of court
- a court of appeal
- court of claims
- …
- the court[usually singular] the people in a court, especially those who make the decisions, such as the judge and jury
- Please tell the court what happened.
- The court heard how the man collapsed after being stabbed.
- The court ruled in favour of her claim.
- This is not a case to be decided by the courts.
- before the court This evidence was not put before the court.
- Airlines could face huge compensation bills following a court ruling on flight delays.
Extra ExamplesTopics Law and justiceb1- The company argued there was no case to answer, but the court disagreed.
- The company asked the court to overrule the tribunal's decision.
- The court acquitted Reece of the murder of his wife.
- The court dismissed the appeal.
- The court heard how the mother had beaten the 11-year-old boy.
- The court held that she was entitled to receive compensation.
- The court issued an injunction.
- The court sentenced him to life in prison.
- The court upheld the plaintiff's claim of unfair dismissal.
- The court was presided over by Judge Owen.
- She is too young to appear before the court.
- We were trying to convince the court that the rules should be changed.
- Will you please tell the court what happened on that morning?
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- civil
- criminal
- Appeals Court
- …
- go to
- take somebody/something to
- come to
- …
- hear something
- acquit somebody
- clear somebody
- …
- bailiff
- clerk
- judge
- …
- at court
- before a/the court
- in court
- …
- contempt of court
- a court of appeal
- court of claims
- …
enlarge image
enlarge image[countable] a place where games such as tennis and basketball are played- a tennis/squash/basketball court
- on court He won after only 52 minutes on court.
- off court The players are good friends off court and train together.
Extra ExamplesTopics Sports: ball and racket sportsb1- Do you prefer playing tennis on grass courts or hard courts?
- He hopes to repeat his success on the grass courts of Wimbledon.
- He was a real gentleman both on and off court and a delight to play.
- Off court she is just as aggressive as she is on the court.
- She is a good player on hard courts.
- The players have been on court for an hour.
- an indoor volleyball court
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- basketball
- squash
- tennis
- …
- off (the) court
- on (the) court
- [countable, uncountable] the official place where kings and queens live
- the court of Queen Victoria
- at court He was presented to the queen at court.
Extra Examples- life at the court of Charles I
- life at court
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- imperial
- royal
- circles
- jester
- at (a/the) court
- the court[singular] the king or queen, their family, and the people who work for them and/or give advice to them
- The painting shows the emperor with his court.
Extra Examples- Mozart quickly became a favourite in court circles.
- a member of the imperial court of Kyoto
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- imperial
- royal
- circles
- jester
- at (a/the) court
- [countable] (also courtyard)an open space that is partly or completely surrounded by buildings and is usually part of a castle, a large house, etc.
- (abbreviation Ct)[countable] used in the names of blocks of flats or apartment buildings, or of some short streets; (in the UK) used in the names of some large houses
- The building is situated in a medieval court at the top of Edinburgh's royal mile.
- [countable] a large open section of a building, often with a glass roof see also food court see also tout court
law
for sport
kings/queens
buildings
Word OriginMiddle English: from Old French cort, from Latin cohors, cohort- ‘yard or retinue’. The verb is influenced by Old Italian corteare, Old French courtoyer. Compare with cohort.
Idioms
the ball is in your/somebody’s court
- it is your/somebody’s responsibility to take action next
- They've offered me the job, so the ball's in my court now.
hold court (with somebody)
- to entertain people by telling them interesting or funny things
- I met Giles holding court with some tourists in a cafe.
laugh somebody/something out of court
- (British English, informal) to completely reject an idea, a story, etc. that you think is not worth taking seriously at all
- All his attempts at explanation were simply laughed out of court.
pay court to somebody
- (old-fashioned) to treat somebody with great respect in order to gain favour with them
rule/throw something out of court
- to say that something is completely wrong or not worth considering, especially in a trial
- The charges were thrown out of court.
- Well that's my theory ruled out of court.