judge

1 of 2

noun

: one who makes judgments: such as
a
: a public official authorized to decide questions brought before a court
b
: one appointed to decide in a contest or competition : umpire
c
: one who gives an authoritative opinion
d
: critic
e
often capitalized : a tribal hero exercising leadership among the Hebrews after the death of Joshua
judgeship noun

judge

2 of 2

verb

judged; judging

transitive verb

1
: to form an opinion about through careful weighing of evidence and testing of premises
2
: to form an estimate or evaluation of
trying to judge the amount of time required
especially : to form a negative opinion about
shouldn't judge him because of his accent
3
: to hold as an opinion : guess, think
I judge she knew what she was doing
4
: to sit in judgment on : try
judge a case
5
: to determine or pronounce after inquiry and deliberation
They judged him guilty.
6
: govern, rule
used of a Hebrew tribal leader

intransitive verb

1
: to form an opinion
2
: to decide as a judge
judger noun
Choose the Right Synonym for judge

infer, deduce, conclude, judge, gather mean to arrive at a mental conclusion.

infer implies arriving at a conclusion by reasoning from evidence; if the evidence is slight, the term comes close to surmise.

from that remark, I inferred that they knew each other

deduce often adds to infer the special implication of drawing a particular inference from a generalization.

denied we could deduce anything important from human mortality

conclude implies arriving at a necessary inference at the end of a chain of reasoning.

concluded that only the accused could be guilty

judge stresses a weighing of the evidence on which a conclusion is based.

judge people by their actions

gather suggests an intuitive forming of a conclusion from implications.

gathered their desire to be alone without a word

Examples of judge in a Sentence

Noun She's one of the strictest judges in the state. He served as a judge at the baking contest. “I don't think we should trust her.” “Let me be the judge of that.” She is a good judge of character. Verb You should not judge people by their appearance. He was trying to judge the strength of his opponent. We should do whatever we judge to be the right thing. Who are you to judge me? He feels that they have judged him unfairly. Don't judge her too severely. The jury will be asked to judge the defendant's guilt. If you are accused of a crime you have the right to be judged by a jury of your peers.
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
The judges thought Goldfish could be Hilary Duff, Selena Gomez, Lucy Hale, Lea Michele or Carly Rae Jepsen. Dana Rose Falcone, Peoplemag, 7 Mar. 2024 The field chasing Gascón includes four prosecutors from within his own office, three judges and two former federal prosecutors. James Queally, Los Angeles Times, 6 Mar. 2024 The district attorney’s office told the judge that emails had become available that indicated the fairness of their case had been compromised. Chris Willman, Variety, 6 Mar. 2024 The judge also set a mandatory settlement conference for October. Nancy Dillon, Rolling Stone, 6 Mar. 2024 Who are the judges on 'The Masked Singer' season 11? Grace Tucker, The Enquirer, 6 Mar. 2024 The government had recommended a total of 71 months in prison — one month more than what the judge handed down — three years’ supervised release and $2,000 restitution. Judy L. Thomas, Kansas City Star, 6 Mar. 2024 Each polling location is staffed with a chief judge who is tasked with maintaining order. Observer Staff Reports, Charlotte Observer, 5 Mar. 2024 JetBlue and Spirit Airlines officially ended their merger plans on Monday, weeks after a federal judge blocked the effort. Alison Fox, Travel + Leisure, 5 Mar. 2024
Verb
Israel’s policies towards the Palestinian people will henceforth be judged on their own merits rather than against the long shadow of European history. Hazlitt, 6 Mar. 2024 He should be judged on his record and his plans for the future. Bill Goodykoontz, The Arizona Republic, 6 Mar. 2024 Rodrigo García appreciates such allegiance to his father but says Rushdie still has the intellectual power to judge which of his books should be published. Carrie Kahn, NPR, 6 Mar. 2024 There are so many moving parts that can’t always be judged by what a player does in two-to-three at-bats or an inning on the mound. Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 4 Mar. 2024 The judged added another year on a separate charge, to be served at the same time as the five-year sentence. Kelley Manley, New York Times, 2 Mar. 2024 Their roles encompass judging Open Calls, facilitating portfolio reviews, and participating in panel discussions. Photovogue, Vogue, 29 Feb. 2024 At their first pop-up in New York City in February, titles were wrapped in cream-colored paper, symbolically encouraging attendees not to judge a book by its cover. People Staff, Peoplemag, 28 Feb. 2024 If governance is to be judged by the opportunities offered to the least advantaged then this is an indictment on the management of the English game. Zak Garner-Purkis, Forbes, 24 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'judge.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English juge, from Anglo-French, from Latin judex — see judge entry 2

Verb

Middle English juggen, from Anglo-French juger, from Latin judicare, from judic-, judex judge, from jus right, law + dicere to decide, say — more at just, diction

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Verb

13th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of judge was in the 13th century

Dictionary Entries Near judge

Cite this Entry

“Judge.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/judge. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

judge

1 of 2 verb
judged; judging
1
: to form an opinion after careful consideration
2
: to decide as a judge : try
3
: to reach a conclusion about something : think

judge

2 of 2 noun
1
: a public official having authority to decide questions brought before a court
2
: a person appointed to decide in a contest or competition : umpire
3
: a person who is qualified to give an opinion : critic
judgeship noun
Etymology

Verb

Middle English juggen "to judge," from early French juger (same meaning), from Latin judicare "to judge," from judic-, judex "judge," from jus "right, law," and dicere "to say" — related to hoosegow, jury, just, prejudice

Legal Definition

judge

1 of 2 verb
judged; judging

transitive verb

1
: to hear and decide (as a litigated question) in a court of justice
judge a case
2
: to pronounce after inquiry and deliberation
he was judged incompetent

intransitive verb

: to make a determination : decide
judge between two accounts

judge

2 of 2 noun
: a public official vested with the authority to hear, determine, and preside over legal matters brought in court
also : one (as a justice of the peace) who performs one or more functions of such an official
Etymology

Verb

Old French jugier, from Latin judicare, from judic-, judex judge, from jus right, law + dicere to decide, say

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