1
a
: a short news story or graphic accompanying and presenting sidelights of a major story
b
: something incidental : sidelight
a sidebar to the essay's central theme
2
: a conference between the judge, the lawyers, and sometimes the parties to a case that the jury does not hear
Examples of sidebar in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The Directors’ Fortnight, the Cannes film festival independent sidebar focused on cutting-edge, auteur cinema, has unveiled its 2025 lineup.
—
Scott Roxborough, HollywoodReporter, 15 Apr. 2025
This year’s Work in Progress showcase – always one of the most popular sidebars at any edition of the fest – offers an enticing glimpse into 12 upcoming features and four series in varying stages of production.
—Jamie Lang, Variety, 15 Apr. 2025
Then, open the Music app on the Windows computer, choose the three dots at the top of the sidebar and then choose Settings.
—David Phelan, Forbes.com, 11 Apr. 2025
The sidebar devoted to discovering new talent will now award the Ami Paris Grand Prize to its winning film, beginning with this year’s 64th edition.
—Rhonda Richford, WWD, 19 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for sidebar
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Scott Roxborough, HollywoodReporter, 15 Apr. 2025
This year’s Work in Progress showcase – always one of the most popular sidebars at any edition of the fest – offers an enticing glimpse into 12 upcoming features and four series in varying stages of production.
—Jamie Lang, Variety, 15 Apr. 2025
Then, open the Music app on the Windows computer, choose the three dots at the top of the sidebar and then choose Settings.
—David Phelan, Forbes.com, 11 Apr. 2025
The sidebar devoted to discovering new talent will now award the Ami Paris Grand Prize to its winning film, beginning with this year’s 64th edition.
—Rhonda Richford, WWD, 19 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for sidebar
Cite this Entry
“Sidebar.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sidebar. Accessed 24 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationLegal Definition
sidebar
noun
side·bar
ˈsīd-ˌbär 
: sidebar conference
had failed to request a sidebar before injecting the collateral offense into the trial—Dockery v. State, 659 So. 2d 219 (1994)
Dockery v. State, 659 So. 2d 219 (1994)
sidebar
adjective
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