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To describe an argument as "moot" is to say that there's no point in discussing it further. In other words, a moot argument is one that has no practical or useful significance and is fit only for theoretical consideration, as in a classroom. It's no surprise, then, that the roots of moot are entwined with academia. The adjective moot followed a few centuries behind the noun moot, which comes from mōt, an Old English word meaning "assembly." Originally, moot referred to an Anglo-Saxon deliberative assembly that met primarily for the administration of justice. By the 16th century, functioning judicial moots had diminished, the only remnant being moot courts, academic mock courts in which law students could try hypothetical cases for practice. The earliest use of moot as an adjective was as a synonym of debatable, but because the cases students tried in moot courts had no bearing on the real world, the word gained the additional sense—used especially in North America—of "deprived of practical significance."
Synonyms
Examples of moot in a Sentence
Allan M. Brandt, The Cigarette Century, 2007
And the question of delight shouldn't be moot.
—Edward Hoagland, Harper's, June 2007
… a genuine Atlantic political culture might be the result—rendering the fears expressed in this article largely moot.
—John O'Sullivan, National Review, 6 Dec. 1999
The court ruled that the issue is now moot because the people involved in the dispute have died.
I think they were wrong, but the point is moot. Their decision has been made and it can't be changed now.
Verb
And it was they, not the British, who slapped down any suggestion of democratic reform when it was quietly mooted by British colonial officers in the 1950s.
—Ian Buruma, New Republic, 24 Sept. 2001
… he looked for an easy way out. A spot in the stateside Guard would have suited him fine; in the event, he dodged and weaved until a low draft number came along to moot his problem.
—Hendrik Hertzberg, New Yorker, 16 & 23 Oct. 2000
And then the word comes of Ted's inoperable pancreatic cancer, and death moots the long conflict.
—Richard Rhodes, New York Times Book Review, 24 Dec. 2000
conservatives had shouted down the proposal when it was first mooted
the issue of whether a person's nature or upbringing is more important continues to be mooted by experts and laymen alike
Laura Schulte, Journal Sentinel, 15 Nov. 2024
All of this could be a moot point within the coming weeks if Lee doesn’t run, leaving the post of Oakland mayor to be fought over by a number of familiar names.
—Shomik Mukherjee, The Mercury News, 15 Nov. 2024
Tristan Lavalette, Forbes, 5 Nov. 2024
Big Talk has a joint venture with That Mitchell & Webb Company and Mitchell first mooted the idea while filming Back.
—Jake Kanter, Deadline, 1 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for moot 
Dictionary Entries Near moot
Cite this Entry
“Moot.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/moot. Accessed 28 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
moot
1 of 2 verbmoot
2 of 2 adjectiveLegal Definition
moot
1 of 2 transitive verbS. R. Sontagmoot
2 of 2 adjectiveAdjective
(of a trial or hearing) hypothetical, staged for practice, from moot hypothetical case for law students, argument, deliberative assembly, from Old English mōt assembly, meeting
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