justice

noun

jus·tice | \ ˈjə-stəs

Definition of justice

1a : the maintenance or administration of what is just especially by the impartial adjustment of conflicting claims or the assignment of merited rewards or punishments meting out justice social justice

b : judge a supreme court justice —used as a title Justice Marshall

c : the administration of law a fugitive from justice especially : the establishment or determination of rights according to the rules of law or equity a system of justice

2a : the quality of being just, impartial, or fair questioned the justice of the their decision

b(1) : the principle or ideal of just dealing or right action

(2) : conformity to this principle or ideal : righteousness the justice of their cause

c : the quality of conforming to law

3 : conformity to truth, fact, or reason : correctness admitted that there was much justice in these observations —T. L. Peacock

Synonyms & Antonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about justice

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Examples of justice in a Sentence

They received justice in court. the U.S. Department of Justice criminals attempting to escape justice The role of the courts is to dispense justice fairly to everyone. She is a justice of the state supreme court. I saw no justice in the court's decision. We should strive to achieve justice for all people.

Recent Examples on the Web

Robert Mueller's legal team unveiled its latest allegations as part of its ongoing probe of Russian interference in the 2016 elections and possible obstruction of justice afterward. — Ronald J. Hansen, azcentral, "Arizona servers used by Russian hackers to monitor Democrats, feds say," 13 July 2018 Obstruction of justice, whether the President or those around him sought to obstruct the investigation into Russian interference With Friday's move, Mueller has now brought charges in the first four categories. — Garrett M. Graff, WIRED, "Indicting 12 Russian Hackers Could Be Mueller's Biggest Move Yet," 13 July 2018 Manafort faces charges including money laundering, bank fraud, obstruction of justice, and failing to register foreign lobbying work. — Renae Reints, Fortune, "Paul Manafort Is Getting Transferred out of His 'VIP' Prison," 12 July 2018 Eden had been a victim of Gilead’s justice system and of a toxic, sexist mindset that had infiltrated her household. — refinery29.com, "The Handmaid's Tale Recap Season 2, Episode 13: The Martha Express," 11 July 2018 The House Judiciary Committee took up articles of impeachment that very afternoon and charged Nixon with obstruction of justice three days later. — Dan Rodricks, baltimoresun.com, "Is Kavanaugh Trump's 'Get-Out-of-Jail-Free Card'?," 10 July 2018 Libby is a former Bush administration official who was convicted of perjury and obstruction of justice in March 2007 in the case of Valerie Plame, who was outed as a covert CIA agent. — George Petras, USA TODAY, "President Trump’s pardons and commutations," 10 July 2018 Bush had considered pardoning Caspar Weinberger, his pal from the Reagan administration, at the end of his first term, but knew the Democrats would accuse him of obstruction of justice. — Neil Swidey, BostonGlobe.com, "How Democrats would be better off if Bill Clinton had never been president," 10 July 2018 In recent years, the Cleveland Foundation has leveraged the reputation of the Anisfield-Wolf award and its message of social justice. — Christopher Johnston, The Christian Science Monitor, "Cleveland uses literature to empower youth, overcome social divides," 9 July 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'justice.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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More Definitions for justice

justice

noun

English Language Learners Definition of justice

: the process or result of using laws to fairly judge and punish crimes and criminals

: a judge in a court of law

Justice —used as a title for a judge (such as a judge of the U.S. Supreme Court)

See the full definition for justice in the English Language Learners Dictionary

justice

noun

jus·tice | \ ˈjəs-təs

Kids Definition of justice

1 : fair treatment Everyone deserves justice.

2 : judge entry 2 sense 1

3 : the process or result of using laws to fairly judge people accused of crimes

4 : the quality of being fair or just They were treated with justice.

justice

noun

jus·tice | \ ˈjəs-təs

Legal Definition of justice

1a : the quality of being just, impartial, or fair it is not the province of the court to decide upon the justice or injustice…of these laws —Scott v. Sanford, 60 U.S. 393 (1857)

b : the principle or ideal of just dealing also : conformity to the principle or ideal of just dealing

2a : the administration of law a fugitive from justice especially : the establishment or determination of rights according to law or equity system of justice

b : fair, just, or impartial legal process courts or tribunals…for the administration of international justice —G. R. Winters

3 : judge especially : a judge of an appellate court or court of last resort (as a supreme court) insults to particular justices and threats of civil disobedience were bandied freely —R. H. Bork