tribunal

tribunal — noun

1. a group of people chosen to act as judges and make decisions on legal disagreeme

1.nounB2
Definition

a group of people chosen to act as judges and make decisions on legal disagreements or official complaints, usually for a specific area of law

Example

Amani testified before the employment tribunal about unfair dismissal.

collocation: employment tribunal / appear before [a] tribunal

The international tribunal ruled that the company must pay damages to local farmers.

tribunal + ruled + that-clause for a formal decision

Common collocations
  • military tribunal
  • international tribunal
  • appear before a tribunal
  • tribunal ruling
  • employment tribunal
  • tribunal hearing
  • disciplinary tribunal
  • tribunal of inquiry
  • stand trial before a tribunal
  • tribunal decision
Synonyms
  • court

    broader term — courts handle general criminal and civil cases, while tribunals focus on specific areas

  • panel

    emphasises the group of decision-makers rather than the formal institution

  • board

    often used for internal or administrative bodies (e.g. appeals board); less formal than tribunal

  • commission

    a body that investigates or reports on issues; may not have binding decision-making power like a tribunal

Grammar Patterns

appear before [a/the] tribunal

[noun] tribunal

Usage Note

Tribunals differ from ordinary courts in that they usually handle a specific type of dispute (e.g. employment, immigration, housing) rather than general criminal or civil cases. The word is often capitalised as part of a proper name: the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia.

Common Mistakes

The murder case was heard in an employment tribunal.
The murder case was heard in a criminal court.
Tribunals handle specialised disputes like employment or immigration, not serious criminal offences.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

All four words refer to groups that make judgments or decisions, but they differ in formality and scope. 'Court' is the broadest term, covering general criminal and civil justice systems; a 'tribunal' is a specialised kind of court focusing on one area (employment, immigration, military justice). 'Panel' emphasises the small group of experts or judges hearing a particular case rather than the institution itself — a panel can be temporary. 'Board' is common for internal or administrative review bodies (appeals board, licensing board) and is generally less formal than a tribunal. 'Commission' may investigate or recommend but often lacks binding adjudicative power. For example: a dispute over a teacher's dismissal would go to an employment tribunal, while a local review of the same case might be handled by an appeals board.

courtpanel ↗board ↗commission ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • tribunal hearing
  • tribunal ruling
  • tribunal decision
  • tribunal proceedings

Phrases

  • appear before a tribunal
  • bring a case before a tribunal
  • stand trial before a tribunal

Prepositions

  • before a tribunal
  • at a tribunal
  • before the tribunal

Etymology

LatinEnglish

From Latin 'tribunal', meaning the raised platform where a tribune (a Roman official) sat to administer justice. The word originally referred to the physical seat of judgment before extending to the body of people making the judgment.