judge

[ juhj ]

noun

1. a public officer authorized to hear and decide cases in a court of law; a magistrate charged with the administration of justice.

   Synonyms: justice

2. a person appointed to decide in any competition, contest, or matter at issue; authorized arbiter:

   the judges of a beauty contest.

   Synonyms: arbitrator

3. a person qualified to pass a critical judgment:

   a good judge of horses.

   Synonyms: critic, connoisseur

4. an administrative head of Israel in the period between the death of Joshua and the accession to the throne by Saul.
5. (especially in rural areas) a county official with supervisory duties, often employed part-time or on an honorary basis.

verb (used with object)

, judged, judg·ing.

1. to pass legal judgment on; pass sentence on (a person):

   The court judged him guilty.

2. to hear evidence or legal arguments in (a case) in order to pass judgment; adjudicate; try:

   The Supreme Court is judging that case.

3. to form a judgment or opinion of; decide upon critically:

   You can't judge a book by its cover.

4. to decide or settle authoritatively; adjudge:

   The censor judged the book obscene and forbade its sale.

5. to infer, think, or hold as an opinion; conclude about or assess:

   He judged her to be correct.

   Synonyms: regard, consider, conceive

6. to make a careful guess about; estimate:

   We judged the distance to be about four miles.

7. (of the ancient Hebrew judges) to govern.

verb (used without object)

, judged, judg·ing.

1. to act as a judge; pass judgment:

   No one would judge between us.

   Synonyms: adjudicate, adjudge

2. to form an opinion or estimate:

   I have heard the evidence and will judge accordingly.

3. to make a mental judgment.

judge

/ dʒʌdʒ /

noun

1. a public official with authority to hear cases in a court of law and pronounce judgment upon them Compare magistrate justice justice judicial
2. a person who is appointed to determine the result of contests or competitions
3. a person qualified to comment critically

   a good judge of antiques

4. a leader of the peoples of Israel from Joshua's death to the accession of Saul

verb

1. to hear and decide upon (a case at law)
2. tr to pass judgment on; sentence
3. when tr, may take a clause as object or an infinitive to decide or deem (something) after inquiry or deliberation
4. to determine the result of (a contest or competition)
5. to appraise (something) critically
6. tr; takes a clause as object to believe (something) to be the case; suspect

Derived Forms

• ˈjudgeˌlike, adjective
• ˈjudgingly, adverb
• ˈjudger, noun
• ˈjudgeless, adjective
• ˈjudgeable, adjective

Other Words From

• judge·a·ble adjective
• judg·er noun
• judge·less adjective
• judge·like adjective
• judge·ship noun
• re·judge verb rejudged rejudging
• sub·judge noun
• sub·judge·ship noun
• un·der·judge verb (used with object) underjudged underjudging
• un·der·judge noun
• un·judge·a·ble adjective
• un·judged adjective
• un·judge·like adjective
• well-judged adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of judge¹

First recorded in 1175–1225; (verb) Middle English jugen, from Anglo-French juger, Old French jugier, from Latin jūdicāre “to judge,” equivalent to jūdic- (stem of jūdex ) “a judge” + -āre infinitive suffix; (noun) Middle English juge, from Old French, from Latin jūdicem, accusative of jūdex

Word History and Origins

Origin of judge¹

C14: from Old French jugier, from Latin jūdicāre to pass judgment, from jūdex a judge

Idioms and Phrases

In addition to the idiom beginning with judge , also see sober as a judge . Also see judgment .

Synonym Study

Judge, referee, umpire refer to one who is entrusted with decisions affecting others. Judge, in its legal and other uses, implies particularly that one has qualifications and authority for giving decisions in matters at issue: a judge appointed to the Supreme Court; a judge in the pie competition. A referee usually examines and reports on the merits of a case as an aid to a court. An umpire gives the final ruling when arbitrators of a case disagree.

Example Sentences

In response to a question from defendants’ counsel, Bastian said he would provide more detail in the written order, which the judge said he plans to issue later Thursday or Friday.

From Washington Post

Lawyers for Bluestone are asking the judge to throw out the federal case, saying the state settlement and hundreds of thousands of dollars in federal fines the company already paid for the same violations should resolve the matters.

From ProPublica

A judge last September granted asylum to Yariel Valdés González, a Blade contributor who faced persecution in Cuba because of his work as an independent journalist.

From Washington Blade

He said he hopes other judges will strike down coronavirus mandates.

From Washington Post

That summer, an administrative law judge rejected the settlement, noting that, among other defects, it largely sidestepped a core question — whether McDonald’s was a joint employer.

From ProPublica

Meanwhile, almost exactly 30 years after the trial, the judge left his home to board a steamboat and was never heard from again.

From The Daily Beast

“I think it is important to say it is too soon to judge success or failure,” said Col. Steven Warren, a Pentagon spokesman.

From The Daily Beast

Who among Scalise's constituents could possibly care if he supported naming a post office for a black judge who died in 1988?

From The Daily Beast

Judge Hinkle said “the Constitution requires the Clerk to issue such licenses.”

From The Daily Beast

So, in an unusual order (PDF) issued on New Years Day, District Judge Robert Hinkle clarified the issue.

From The Daily Beast

Judge or sheriff, it was all one to them, each being equally terrible in their eyes.

From Project Gutenberg

“And the matter of the will was all disposed of by the probate judge today, I hear,” said the judge, his hand on the door.

From Project Gutenberg

Judge for yourself the difficulty surrounding the remainder of the symbols and fundamental truths of christianity.

From Project Gutenberg

I should judge that a peck of corn is about the average product of a day's work through all this region.

From Project Gutenberg

He was a good judge of men, that eagle-faced major; he knew that the slightest move with hostile intent would mean a smoking gun.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• authority
• court
• critic
• expert
• inspector
• justice
• referee