adjudicate

verb ad·ju·di·cate \ ə-ˈjü-di-ˌkāt \

|Updated on: 17 Jun 2018

Examples: adjudicate in a Sentence

Editor's Note: Did You Know?

Definition of adjudicate

adjudicated; adjudicating

transitive verb

: to make an official decision about who is right in (a dispute) : to settle judicially

The school board will adjudicate claims made against teachers.

intransitive verb

: to act as judge

The court can adjudicate on this dispute.

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adjudicative

play \-ˌkā-tiv, -kə-\ adjective

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adjudicator

play \-ˌkā-tər\ noun

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adjudicatory

play \-ˈjü-di-kə-ˌtȯr-ē\ adjective

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Examples of adjudicate in a Sentence

The board will adjudicate claims made against teachers.
The case was adjudicated in the state courts.
The board will adjudicate when claims are made against teachers.

Recent Examples of adjudicate from the Web

Any presumption that human rights issues may be adjudicated in Turkey by independent tribunals within a reasonable time clearly contradicts these reports.

— filiz kahraman, Washington Post, "Why Turkey’s human rights violations won’t end up in court," 12 June 2018
Servers and clerks did not ask the cadets for identification in any of the cases adjudicated Wednesday, according to reports Reichart read into the record.

— david anderson, The Aegis, "Harford liquor board fines four businesses for selling to a minor," 7 June 2018
But trade experts aren’t so sure: there is no precedent for the WTO adjudicating on a dispute involving Article 21 of the WTO agreement, which permits countries to breach their WTO commitments for national security reasons.

— simon nixon, WSJ, "Why Angry Europeans Won’t Isolate Trump at G-7 Summit," 6 June 2018
Some may have decided to come in without an appointment and had their fines addressed, but others are likely still going to be adjudicated.

— jason laughlin, Philly.com, "Was Philly's parking amnesty program worth it?," 22 May 2018
Their cases have been adjudicated but the outcome and others details have been sealed from public view.

— uriel j. garcia, azcentral, "Sept. 10 trial set in sex-abuse case against ex-Hamilton football player," 21 May 2018
State lawmakers have tried for years to allow public-records disputes with the utilities commission to be adjudicated first by Superior Court judges, instead of having to go directly to busy appeals courts, but the changes have run into opposition.

— jeff mcdonald, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Five months later, no ruling from state appeals court on San Onofre emails," 27 Apr. 2018
Court records show that in Sunday’s case, Ryan was adjudicated guilty, fined $118, ordered to stay away from the park and released.

— chris tisch, miamiherald, "This man scared the kids at a park — with stories of where babies come from, cops say | Miami Herald," 22 May 2018
The states, in turn, existed to adjudicate intercounty disputes, and the federal government to deal with interstate.

— james pogue, Outside Online, "The Religious Ideology Driving the Bundy Brothers," 14 May 2018

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

Did You Know?

Adjudicate is one of several terms that give testimony to the influence of jus, the Latin word for "law," on our legal language. Adjudicate is from the Latin verb adjudicare, from judicare, meaning "to judge," which, in turn, traces to the Latin noun judex, meaning "judge." English has other judex words, such as judgment, judicial, judiciary, and prejudice. If we admit further evidence, we discover that the root of judex is jus, the word for "law." What's the verdict? Latin law words frequently preside in English-speaking courtrooms. In addition to the judex words, jury, justice, injury, and perjury are all ultimately from Latin jus.

Origin and Etymology of adjudicate

borrowed from Latin adjūdicātus, past participle of adjūdicāre "to adjudge"

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: circa 1695

in the meaning defined at transitive sense

See Words from the same year

adjudicate Synonyms

Synonyms

adjudge, arbitrate, decide, determine, judge, referee, rule (on), settle, umpire;

Near Antonyms

equivocate, hedge, pussyfoot, skirt;

size up;

mediate, moderate, negotiate;

prosecute, try;

find (for or against);

conclude, resolve;

Other Legal Terms

actionable, alienable, carceral, chattel, complicity, decedent, larceny, malfeasance, modus operandi

Law Dictionary

adjudicate

verb ad·ju·di·cate \ ə-ˈjü-di-ˌkāt \

legal Definition of adjudicate

adjudicated; adjudicating

transitive verb

1 : to settle either finally or temporarily (the rights and duties of the parties to a judicial or quasi-judicial proceeding) on the merits of the issues raised

2 : to pass judgment on as a judge : settle judicially

3 : to pronounce judicially to be