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contempt of court

disobedience or disrespect toward a court

In Law & Justice

In more detail

1. (noun) a legal offense of disobeying or showing disrespect to a court of law or judge, especially by refusing to follow court orders or disrupting court proceedings

Examples

• 1. The witness was charged with contempt of court for refusing to answer the judge's questions.

How to use contempt of court

Contempt of court is a formal legal term referring to either criminal conduct (disrupting proceedings, disobeying a judge) or civil violations (failing to comply with court orders). It is used primarily in legal and judicial contexts and carries serious consequences. The phrase is fixed and typically appears as the object of verbs like 'charge,' 'hold,' or 'convict.'

Register: formal

Common phrases

• charged with contempt of court
• held in contempt of court
• contempt of court citation
• contempt of court proceeding
• contempt of court conviction

Synonyms

disrespect for the court · breach of court order · judicial contempt · court violation

A common mistake

Learners sometimes use 'contempt for' (with 'for') in place of 'contempt of court,' which is the standard legal phrasing and cannot be substituted with the preposition 'for.'

Nearby in Law & Justice

bail, the bar, bylaw, counsel, custody, defamation

Keep going

How to remember the words you read · Spaced repetition, explained