arbiter
Americannoun
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a person empowered to decide matters at issue; judge; umpire.
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a person who has the sole or absolute power of judging or determining.
noun
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a person empowered to judge in a dispute; referee; arbitrator
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a person having complete control of something
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of arbiter
1350–1400; Middle English arbitour, arbitre < Anglo-French, Old French < Latin arbiter
Compare meaning
How does arbiter compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
Explanation
An arbiter is someone selected to judge and settle a dispute. When Doc and Grumpy disagreed over whose turn it was to stay late at the mine, they chose Snow White as an arbiter. Arbiter, from the Latin, means "one who goes somewhere as witness or judge.” The arbiter of a baseball game is called an umpire. In football and basketball, the arbiter is a referee. Arbitration is a type of conflict resolution in which a neutral person — the arbiter — hears the details of a dispute and makes a legally-binding decision about its resolution.
Vocabulary lists containing arbiter
Frankenstein
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"The Odyssey" by Homer, Books 19–24
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The Picture of Dorian Gray
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
She added that she was not against using AI per se to check entries, but she was "against is it being used as a final arbiter in this case".
From BBC ● Oct. 13, 2026
On its official website, the court advertises itself to visitors as the “final arbiter of the law,” and thus the Constitution’s “guardian and interpreter.”
From Slate ● Jul. 20, 2026
A single score serves as a potential arbiter of a student’s future, determining not just whether they can attend college but also where they’ll go and what they’ll study.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 22, 2026
This time, however, stock markets might be the final arbiter.
From Barron's ● Jun. 3, 2026
Both parties later swore to terms of peace set by their arbiter, Athena, daughter of Zeus who bears the stormcloud as a shield— though still she kept the form and voice of Mentor.
From "The Odyssey" by Homer
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Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
