court-martial

[ kawrt-mahr-shuhl, -mahr-, kohrt- ]

noun

, plural courts-mar·tial, court-mar·tials.

1. a court consisting of military or naval personnel appointed by a commander to try charges of offenses by soldiers, sailors, etc., against military or naval law.
2. a trial by such a court.
3. a conviction by such a court:

   He lost his privileges because of his court-martial.

4. a session of such a court:

   He attended the court-martial this morning.

verb (used with object)

, court-mar·tialed, court-mar·tial·ing or (especially British) court-mar·tialled, court-mar·tial·ling.

1. to arraign and try by court-martial.

court martial

noun

1. a military court that tries persons subject to military law

verb

1. tr to try by court martial

Word History and Origins

Origin of court-martial¹

First recorded in 1565–75; earlier martial court

Example Sentences

Suspending the prison sentence for two years, the military board at a court martial in Bulford, Wiltshire, also ordered him to 30 days of rehabilitation, 150 hours unpaid work and to pay his victim £2,500 compensation.

From BBC

What the personnel had done merited not merely reassignment or discharge, but potentially a court martial for deliberately rendering themselves undeployable, endangering other service members, gross insubordination and possibly even mutiny, as it was an organized action against their unit.

From Salon

Their court martial, in a strange display of leniency, sentenced the most culpable perpetrator to just 10 years in prison, while one of the four defendants did not even receive a punitive discharge.

From Salon

The sailors were tried and convicted in a court martial, sentenced to bad conduct discharge and fined three months pay.

From Los Angeles Times

While investigators searched for Lee, he was convicted and sentenced in absentia at a Jan. 19 court martial for felony sexual assault.

From Seattle Times

Related Words

• military court