magistrates' court

noun

In England and Wales, a lower court of law that deals with less serious offences, as well as initial hearings for serious offences prior to referring these to the Crown Court. Cases are heard by two or three magistrates, or sometimes a district judge, without a jury.

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Meanings

nounmagistrates' court (plural magistrates' courts)

plural magistrates' courts

  1. In England and Wales, a lower court of law that deals with less serious offences, as well as initial hearings for serious offences prior to referring these to the Crown Court. Cases are heard by two or three magistrates, or sometimes a district judge, without a jury.
  2. A similar court of law in various other countries and jurisdictions.

Translations

Chinese Cantonese 裁判法院, 裁判司署
  • 裁判法院lower court of law
  • 裁判司署 (coi⁴ pun³ si¹ cyu⁵)lower court of law
Chinese Mandarin 地方法院, 治安法院
  • 地方法院 (dìfāng fǎyuàn)lower court of law
  • 治安法院 (zhì'ān fǎyuàn)lower court of law
  • 裁判法院 (cáipàn fǎyuàn)lower court of law
  • 推事法庭 (tuīshì fǎtíng)lower court of law
  • 推事庭 (tuīshì tíng)lower court of law
Finnish maistraatinoikeus
  • maistraatinoikeuslower court of law
Polish magistrat
  • magistratlower court of law
Cite this entry
APA

magistrates' court. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/magistrates'%20court

MLA

“magistrates' court.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/magistrates'%20court. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “magistrates' court,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/magistrates'%20court.

Source: magistrates' court on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.