supreme court

noun

variants often Supreme Court
Synonyms of supreme courtnext
1
: the highest judicial tribunal in a political unit (such as a nation or state)
2
: a court of original jurisdiction in New York state subordinate to a final court of appeals

Examples of supreme court in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
No changes to the state supreme court bench are happening in Kansas' future. — Saige Miller, NPR, 5 Aug. 2026 Also in play is whether Democrats, who tried to redraw districts in Virginia to their advantage but were rebuffed by the state supreme court, can pick candidates who can defeat Republicans in the fall. — ABC News, 4 Aug. 2026 Their win has given hope to hundreds of thousands across the diaspora who couldn’t afford the time or the money to see a lawsuit through to the supreme court. — Julia Buckley, CNN Money, 4 Aug. 2026 Last year, a coalition of leaders of some of the state’s biggest law firms wrote a letter to the state supreme court backing IOLTA funding for civil legal services. — David A. Graham, The Atlantic, 23 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for supreme court

Word History

First Known Use

1686, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of supreme court was in 1686

Rhymes for supreme court

See All Rhymes for supreme court

Browse Nearby Words

Supreme Being
supreme court
supreme good
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Supreme court.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/supreme%20court. Accessed 8 Aug. 2026.

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Kids Definition

supreme court

noun
: the highest court in a political unit (as the U.S. or one of its states)

Legal Definition

supreme court

noun
su·​preme court
1
: the highest court in a nation or state
specifically, capitalized S&C : the highest court in the judicial branch of the U.S. government that has original jurisdiction over controversies involving ambassadors or other ministers or consuls but whose main activity is as the court of last resort exercising appellate jurisdiction over cases involving federal law
2
capitalized S&C : a court of original jurisdiction in New York

Note: The court of last resort in New York is the Court of Appeals.

More from Merriam-Webster on supreme court

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for supreme court

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about supreme court

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