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out-of-court

American  
[out-uhv-kawrt, -kohrt] / ˈaʊt əvˈkɔrt, -ˈkoʊrt /

adjective

  1. conducted or agreed upon between contending parties without court decision.

    an out-of-court settlement of a lawsuit.


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 subsequent petition by the Utah regulator to assume control of the A-CAP insurers in its jurisdiction was dismissed following out-of-court mediation.

From Barron's • Mar. 4, 2026

Hourly rates for bankruptcy lawyers are topping $3,000, contributing to soaring chapter 11 costs that have prompted more companies to turn to faster out-of-court restructurings.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 30, 2025

His proposals also included more out-of-court settlements like cautions.

From BBC • Dec. 17, 2025

Their strategy has been to tread cautiously and negotiate an out-of-court end to the investigations and financial threats — without further jeopardizing the $17.5 billion in federal funds UC receives.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 13, 2025

Alabama’s statute at the time limited what court-appointed lawyers could be paid for their out-of-court preparation time to $1,000, so the lawyer spent almost no time on the case.

From "Just Mercy" by Bryan Stevenson