district court
Americannoun
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(in many states) the court of general jurisdiction.
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the federal trial court sitting in each district of the United States.
noun
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(in Scotland) a court of summary jurisdiction held by a stipendiary magistrate or one or more justices of the peace to deal with minor criminal offences
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a federal trial court serving a federal judicial district
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(in some states) a court having general jurisdiction in a state judicial district
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Former name: magistrates' court. (in Australia and New Zealand) a court lower than a high court
Etymology
Origin of district court
An Americanism dating back to 1780–90
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
A state district court, siding with a legal challenge filed by Horning’s lawyers, dismissed the town’s petition to condemn the parcel.
District Court Judge R. Gary Klausner disagreed in a ruling Wednesday, finding Seitz and his attorneys had not shown how his 1st Amendment rights had been violated.
From Los Angeles Times
His solicitor, Holly Laher, asked that her client, who has yet to enter a plea, be remanded in custody to appear at Cloverhill District Court on Thursday.
From BBC
The US Department of Justice said 41-year-old Fode Sitafa Mara, from Maryland, was sentenced on Wednesday following a two-week trial in October 2025 in the state's federal District Court.
From BBC
NewJeans, who saw Min as a mentor, announced they would leave the agency following her dismissal, but a South Korea district court ruled last October that they must honour their contract with Ador, which runs until 2029.
From BBC
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
