moot
moot — adjective
- mootpositive
- mootercomparative
- mootestsuperlative
1. talked about by many people who disagree, with no clear answer that everyone acc
talked about by many people who disagree, with no clear answer that everyone accepts.
Whether the painting is a real Picasso remains a moot point among art experts in Paris.
collocation: a moot point
Whether eating eggs raises cholesterol is still a moot question for many family doctors.
collocation: a moot question
Caio argued that the player's true position on the field is moot, since stats matter more than labels.
After the long debate, the cause of the village fire remained moot for the historians.
Élise said the right age to retire is a moot issue that depends on every worker's health.
- debatable
everyday near-synonym; works in more registers
- arguable
stresses that a case can be made for either side
- contested
implies active disagreement between groups
- open to question
longer phrase; common in plain English
- settled
no longer in dispute
- indisputable
so clearly true that nobody argues
文法句型
a moot point
a moot question
remain moot
用法筆記
Most often appears in the fixed phrases 'a moot point', 'a moot question', or 'a moot issue'. Distinguish from sense 2 (POINTLESS): here the question is still genuinely worth arguing about; in sense 2 it is no longer worth arguing because the situation has changed.
常見錯誤
2. not worth arguing about any longer, because something has happened that makes th
not worth arguing about any longer, because something has happened that makes the question no longer matter.
Once Karim withdrew his job application, the question of his starting salary became moot.
pattern: become moot
The argument over which restaurant to book was moot after Noa told the group she had already paid the deposit.
predicative: X was moot
When the typhoon cancelled the wedding, the seating chart Andrei had spent hours on was suddenly moot.
Whether to repaint the kitchen is moot now, since the Wong family decided to sell the house instead.
Jason's resignation rendered the disciplinary hearing moot for the school board.
- irrelevant
broader; doesn't carry the 'overtaken by events' nuance
- academic
of theoretical interest only, no practical impact
- redundant
no longer needed because already covered
文法句型
become moot
the question is now moot
render X moot
用法筆記
Common in American English, especially in business and news writing. Distinguish from sense 1 (DEBATABLE): sense 2 means the answer no longer matters; sense 1 means the answer is still genuinely worth arguing about.
常見錯誤
3. describing a legal matter that a court no longer needs to decide, because events
describing a legal matter that a court no longer needs to decide, because events have already settled the dispute.
After the prisoner was released, the appeal about his sentence length was declared moot by the court.
pattern: declared moot by [court]
The Supreme Court ruled that the case against the old tax law was moot once Congress changed the law.
predicative: the case was moot
Daniel's lawyer warned that the lawsuit might be moot if the company shut down before the trial.
When the contested election results were finally certified, the lawsuit over the recount became moot.
- academic
in law, often used interchangeably with this sense
- non-justiciable
formal legal term for a matter a court will not decide
- live
of a case: still requires a court ruling
- justiciable
suitable for a court to decide
文法句型
a moot case
the issue is moot
declare moot
用法筆記
Legal-register sense, mostly American. Subject is typically 'case', 'appeal', 'lawsuit', 'issue', 'claim'. Distinguish from sense 2 (POINTLESS NOW): sense 3 is specifically about a court deciding it has no live matter to rule on; sense 2 is general everyday speech.
常見錯誤
4. describing a legal example that is made up for study or practice, so it has no r
describing a legal example that is made up for study or practice, so it has no real-world effect.
The professor handed out a moot case about a stolen bicycle for the first-year students to argue.
collocation: a moot case
Eshe spent the weekend preparing arguments for a moot question on contract law.
collocation: a moot question
Romi enjoyed law school most when the class debated a moot dispute between two pretend companies.
Each team received a moot scenario about a landlord and tenant the night before the tournament.
- hypothetical
broader everyday word for an invented example
- imaginary
stresses that it does not exist in reality
- practice
as in 'a practice case'; informal alternative
文法句型
a moot case
a moot question
用法筆記
Mostly used inside law-school settings: 'a moot case' or 'a moot scenario' is one invented for training, not a real dispute. Closely linked to the noun sense (moot court / a moot).
常見錯誤
moot — verb
- mootpresent simple I / you / we / they
- moots3rd person singular
- mooting-ing form
- mootedpast simple
1. to put forward an idea or plan so that other people can think it over and talk a
to put forward an idea or plan so that other people can think it over and talk about it.
Feng first mooted the idea of a four-day working week at the company's annual meeting.
pattern: moot the idea of [-ing]
A new public library has been mooted as a way to bring more readers into the town centre.
passive: be mooted as
Samir mooted a plan to share office space between the two charities to cut their rent costs.
Several names were mooted for the head coach job before the club finally chose Lien.
The minister mooted the possibility of free bus travel for students on Sunday news shows.
文法句型
moot an idea
moot a proposal
be mooted as
用法筆記
Frequently passive ('was mooted', 'has been mooted as'). Object is usually an idea, plan, name, or proposal — not a concrete object. More common in journalism and formal speech than in everyday talk.
常見錯誤
moot — noun
- mootsingular
- mootsplural
1. a pretend court session where law students argue an invented case while learning
a pretend court session where law students argue an invented case while learning how to become lawyers.
Lien won the first-year moot at her London law school by arguing both sides of the case clearly.
collocation: win a moot
Every Friday afternoon the students gathered for a moot before two visiting judges.
Daniel argued his first moot in front of his classmates and a real High Court judge.
The international moot in Vienna draws law students from more than seventy countries each spring.
- moot court
the standard compound form; more common than 'moot' alone
- mock trial
broader American term; covers school-level practice too
- real trial
an actual court case with binding outcome
文法句型
a moot
the moot
moot court
用法筆記
Closely tied to 'moot court' as a compound noun. Subject is almost always a student or a law school; mostly heard inside legal education, not general speech.