adjudicate

verb

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ad·ju·di·cate | \ ə-ˈjü-di-ˌkāt

adjudicated; adjudicating

Definition of adjudicate

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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Other Words from adjudicate

adjudicative \ ə-ˈjü-di-ˌkā-tiv

, -kə- \ adjective

adjudicator \ ə-ˈjü-di-ˌkā-tər

\ noun

adjudicatory \ ə-ˈjü-di-kə-ˌtȯr-ē

\ adjective

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.

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 on the Web As a court of last resort, the ICC was established not to override national courts but to complement them, creating a global tribunal that would adjudicate the gravest crimes of concern to the international community. — Mélissa Godin, Time, "Lawyers Are Working to Put 'Ecocide' on Par with War Crimes. Could an International Law Hold Major Polluters to Account?," 19 Feb. 2021 Instead, Democrats have appointed Sen. Patrick Leahy, a Vermont Democrat and the Senate’s president pro tempore, to adjudicate the trial. — Susan Ferrechio, Washington Examiner, "House Democrats deliver latest Trump impeachment charge to Senate," 25 Jan. 2021 The vast majority of filers who haven't received any benefits have a pending ID verification issue, said Lynda Robinson, a spokesperson for the UIA, while others have non-monetary issues that the agency is working to adjudicate. — Adrienne Roberts, Detroit Free Press, "New unemployment claims decline in Michigan, dropping for the 4th straight week," 5 Feb. 2021 The Senate trial will begin on Feb. 8, and Democrats have appointed Sen. Patrick Leahy, a Vermont Democrat and the Senate’s president pro tempore, to adjudicate the trial instead of Chief Justice John Roberts. — Mike Brest, Washington Examiner, "Biden: Trump impeachment trial 'has to happen'," 26 Jan. 2021 The bill will streamline copyright disputes by creating a small claims tribunal within the U.S. Copyright Office that will adjudicate small claims infringement cases. — Claudia Rosenbaum, Billboard, "Congress Passes CASE Act as Part of COVID-19 Relief Bill," 22 Dec. 2020 But, unfortunately, the best way to do that with a silver bullet is to have the highest court in the land adjudicate it. — Isaac Chotiner, The New Yorker, "Why Representative Mike Johnson Thinks That the Election Isn’t Over," 15 Dec. 2020 In fact, when states cannot settle their disputes, the Supreme Court is the only court with the authority to adjudicate the case, according to the Legal Information Institute. — Melissa Quinn, CBS News, "Texas sues over election results in battleground states Biden won," 10 Dec. 2020 More broadly, experts say, the agencies that adjudicate all of these visas, work permits and citizenship are going to require a culture shift to move beyond Trump’s immigration posture. — Washington Post, "Biden vows to ‘restore and defend’ legal immigration, reversing Trump administration visa policies," 1 Dec. 2020

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.

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Last Updated

27 Feb 2021

Cite this Entry

“Adjudicate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/adjudicate. Accessed 27 Feb. 2021.

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More Definitions for adjudicate

adjudicate

verb

ad·ju·di·cate | \ ə-ˈjü-di-ˌkāt

adjudicated; adjudicating

Legal Definition of adjudicate

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 was adjudicated a bankrupt was adjudicated the child's father

4 : to convey by judicial sale

intransitive verb

: to come to a judicial decision : act as judge the court adjudicated upon the case

Other Words from adjudicate

adjudication \ ə-ˌjü-di-ˈkā-shən

\ noun

adjudicative \ ə-ˈjü-di-ˌkā-tiv, -kə- \ noun

adjudicator \ -ˌkā-tər

\ noun