Legal Dictionary
Definitions With the Authority Attached
A one-line definition rarely settles a legal question. Each entry carries its sources, worked examples, and the cases where the term does real work.
Free, no account needed
“So that's what that rule means…”
Trusted by Law Students Nationwide
Verifiable to the Source
Not AI slop. Prepared by attorneys.
Step 1 · Answered
This is a real Contracts question from our bank
Riverside Hospital sent MedPro Supplies a signed purchase order for 5,000 disposable surgical gowns. The order said nothing about indemnity or dispute resolution. MedPro mailed back its standard confirmation, repeating quantity and price but adding an indemnity clause and a requirement that disputes be arbitrated. Both are merchants. MedPro delivered the gowns, Riverside paid, and the gowns were used. Riverside later claimed a shipment was defective and filed suit in court. MedPro demanded arbitration under its confirmation form.
In Riverside's lawsuit, is a court likely to require Riverside to arbitrate its dispute with MedPro based on the arbitration clause in MedPro's confirmation form?
- AYes, because arbitration clauses are always enforceable to promote efficient dispute resolution.
- BYes, because additional written terms automatically become part of every sale-of-goods contract.
- CNo, because Riverside's purchase order expressly rejected all additional boilerplate terms.
- DNo, because the arbitration clause is an additional term that may materially alter.
Correct · D
D is correct. This transaction is a sale of goods between merchants, so the battle of the forms rules apply. Riverside's signed purchase order was the offer. MedPro's confirmation was a definite expression of acceptance. It repeated the dickered terms but added indemnity and arbitration provisions. Those are "additional terms," not part of the original offer. Between merchants, additional terms can become part of the contract only if certain conditions are met. One key limitation is that an additional term will not be incorporated if it would materially alter the contract. Clauses that change how disputes are resolved, such as mandatory arbitration provisions and broad indemnity requirements, often have significant practical and legal consequences. Courts frequently treat them as material alterations because they surprise or substantially shift risk. Here, the parties formed a contract for gowns based on the matching terms of the order and confirmation, and they performed under that contract. The arbitration clause was only a proposal for an added term. Because it is the kind of term that may materially alter the bargain, a court is unlikely to treat it as having silently become part of the contract. Riverside therefore cannot be compelled to arbitrate based solely on MedPro's boilerplate.
Rule tested
UCC § 2-207(2)
The additional terms are to be construed as proposals for addition to the contract. Between merchants such terms become part of the contract unless:
Related authority
UCC § 2-207(1)
A definite and seasonable expression of acceptance or a written confirmation which is sent within a reasonable time operates as an acceptance even though it states terms additional to or different from those offered or agreed upon, unless acceptance is expressly made conditional on assent to the additional or different terms.
UCC § 2-207(2)(b)
they materially alter it; or
UCC § 2-207(3)
Conduct by both parties which recognizes the existence of a contract is sufficient to establish a contract for sale although the writings of the parties do not otherwise establish a contract. In such case the terms of the particular contract consist of those terms on which the writings of the parties agree, together with any supplementary terms incorporated under any other provisions of this Act.
What you actually get
Every part of Legal Dictionary, in detail.
See for yourself
Look up a term right here.
Switch between terms and read the actual entries. Notice that the definition is the start of the entry rather than the whole of it — the authorities, examples, and cases are the reason it is useful.
Look up a real legal term
Open an entry and see the definition, authorities, examples, and linked cases together.
Consideration
/kənˌsɪdəˈreɪʃən/noun
- 1
A bargained-for exchange of legal value that makes a promise enforceable as a contract.
- 2
In some contexts, the motive or inducement for a conveyance — distinct from contract consideration.
Example
A promises to pay B $500 if B paints A’s fence. B’s painting is consideration for A’s promise; A’s promise is consideration for B’s performance.
Authorities
Every definition lists what it rests on.
A one-line definition rarely settles a legal question. Each entry names the authorities behind it, grouped by category, with the full rule text available on demand — so you can check the definition instead of trusting it.
Multiple meanings
Terms that mean different things get numbered senses.
Plenty of legal terms carry one meaning in contract law and another in procedure. Those are separated into numbered senses rather than blended into a single sentence that is vaguely true everywhere and precisely wrong in context.
In practice
Worked examples, with the authority named.
See the term doing real work in a concrete situation, with the supporting authority attached. Definitions tell you what a word means; examples tell you when to reach for it.
Cases
The cases where the term actually appears.
Each entry surfaces cases that use the term, ranked by how heavily they are tested, so a definition becomes a doorway into the opinion instead of a dead end.
Retention
Check yourself, then keep the terms you need.
Entries include a self-check and a bookmark, and you can move through the dictionary by letter when you are building vocabulary for a subject rather than chasing one word.
Everywhere else
The dictionary follows you into your reading.
Legal terms inside course readings are linked to their entries, so hovering a term gives you the definition without losing your place. Same for the search field in the navigation bar on every page.
The price
Free, and no account required.
The dictionary is open to everyone, including people who have never signed up. Reference material that sits behind a paywall does not get used, and material that does not get used does not help anyone.
Common questions
Legal Dictionary, answered
Is the legal dictionary free?
How is it different from other legal dictionaries?
Can I look up a term while I am studying?
Why trust this
How Legal Dictionary holds up
- Each definition lists the authorities it rests on, expandable to the full rule text.
- Related cases are surfaced from actual use of the term in the opinion.
- Used by law students at schools across the country
- Used by candidates preparing for the bar exam
- Used by attorneys who studied with it before admission
- Recommended by practicing attorneys
We do not publish score or pass-rate claims. We have not run an outcomes study, and we will not imply results we have not measured.
Pairs with
Case Library
Full opinions plus expert analysis, with citations that jump to the supporting passage.
Free on Basic. No account needed to read.
Concept Readings
Clear written explanations of every concept, with cited rules and comprehension checks inline.
Free to read, no account needed. Answering checks requires a free account.
Search
Search cases and dictionary terms from the navigation bar on any page.
Free, no account needed