Meaning & use
agree out of court
Last updated
Meanings
phraseidiomlegallaw
To settle a legal disagreement by private agreement instead of going to a trial.
Grammar: Used as an intransitive phrase; the two sides agree out of court, or they agree to a sum out of court.
Patterns
- agree out of court
- agree to something out of court
- agree with someone out of court
The company and the former employee agreed out of court for an undisclosed amount.
Rather than risk a long trial, the two sides agreed out of court.
They agreed out of court to share the cost of the repairs.
phraseidiomlegal
To reach a private understanding about a matter without involving a court or official body.
Grammar: Used more broadly for disputes that never reach a courtroom, such as family or business disagreements.
Patterns
- agree out of court
- agree something out of court
The neighbors agreed out of court about the boundary line.
The partners agreed out of court on how to divide the business.
Common combinations
- agree out of court
- The parties agreed out of court to avoid a lengthy trial.
- settle out of court
- Most personal injury cases settle out of court.
- an out-of-court settlement
- The actress received an out-of-court settlement.
- reach an out-of-court agreement
- The two firms reached an out-of-court agreement last week.
- avoid court
- They hoped to avoid court by negotiating privately.
Synonyms and how they differ
- settle
- 'Settle' is the more common verb for ending a dispute; 'agree out of court' stresses that the agreement happens outside the legal system.
- compromise
- 'Compromise' means each side gives up something; 'agree out of court' does not necessarily involve giving anything up.
Opposites
Word family
- out-of-court adjective
- Describing something done outside a courtroom, as in 'an out-of-court settlement'.
- agreement noun
- An arrangement or decision reached by two or more people.
- court noun
- The place where legal cases are heard and judged.
Commonly confused: agree out of court or agree in court? agree out of court or out of order?
agree out of court vs agree in court
This would mean the agreement is made formally during a court hearing, not privately before trial.
agree out of court vs out of order
A completely different phrase meaning not working or not allowed; do not confuse it with 'out of court'.
Practice
The two companies decided to ______ rather than spend years in litigation.
Choose one answer.
'Agree out of court' means settling privately without a trial. 'Agree in court' would mean the agreement happens during a formal hearing, which is the opposite of avoiding litigation.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “agree out of court”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.