circuit court

noun

: a court that sits at two or more places within one judicial district

Examples of circuit court in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Lanier was charged with Class 2 felonies for the two Oak Lawn burglaries, according to the Cook County circuit court filings. — Olivia Stevens, Chicago Tribune, 8 Oct. 2026

In July, a Tallahassee circuit court issued an order to expunge 112 pages of the 116-page report, according to the opinion. — Romy Ellenbogen Herald, Miami Herald, 7 Oct. 2026

Bzdak has a preliminary hearing set for September 24 in circuit court. — Eduardo Cuevas, CNN Money, 18 Sep. 2026

Requests for comment sent to the Bourbon County Sheriff's Office and the local circuit court clerk were not immediately returned. — Lucas Aulbach, Louisville Courier Journal, 4 Sep. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1708, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for circuit court

• heliport
• nonsupport
• reexport
• teleport
• ultrashort
• abort
• airport
• alport
• athwart
• carport
• comport
• consort

Legal Definition

circuit court

noun

: a court that sits in more than one place in a judicial district: as

a

: a state court usually with original jurisdiction and sometimes with appellate jurisdiction

b

: any of the federal courts of appeals

—not used technically

Note: Before 1948, the U.S. Courts of Appeals were known as Circuit Courts of Appeals.