adjudicate

verb ad·ju·di·cate \ ə-ˈjü-di-ˌkāt \

|Updated on: 12 Aug 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

See adjudicate defined for English-language learners

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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

That’s largely because the language on education in its constitution is even more vague and limited than that in the constitutions of many other states, some of whose courts have been very active in adjudicating suits about how schools are funded.

— alia wong, The Atlantic, "In America, Schools Aren’t Required to Teach Kids to Read and Write," 6 July 2018
One can imagine the high court struggling to adjudicate cases based on ever more arcane claims for self-identity, diversity and privacy.

— daniel henninger, WSJ, "Trump Blows Away a Penumbra," 4 July 2018
On-field reviews have been efficient, and while subjectivity still exists (many feel that’s a good thing), several game-changing plays have been reviewed and adjudicated accurately thanks to the technology.

— brian straus, SI.com, "The World Cup of Chaos: Looking Back on a Group Stage for the Ages," 29 June 2018
If the attorney general's office finds that the pharmacist acted inappropriately, a complaint would be filed with the Indiana Board of Pharmacy who would then adjudicate the process.

— justin l. mack, Indianapolis Star, "Walgreens pharmacist denied woman miscarriage medication. Could it happen in Indiana?," 25 June 2018
Dreyfus will adjudicate both convictions July 23 during a joint sentencing hearing.

— steven martinez, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Hartland man who gave teen drugs, alcohol before she died in fatal crash convicted of homicide," 22 June 2018
Just as Hong Kong benefited from the British legal system, so Dubai has imported British-style common law for the Dubai International Finance Centre, a city within a city where foreign lawyers adjudicate on business matters within its confines.

— The Economist, "Do buyHow Dubai became a model for free trade, openness and ambition," 21 June 2018
Presidents and Congress routinely jostle over where to draw the line between their respective and often overlapping powers, but the Supreme Court rarely gets involved in adjudicating such questions.

— charlie savage, New York Times, "Trump and His Lawyers Embrace a Vision of Vast Executive Power," 4 June 2018
The Valor Act was intended to give District Court judges leeway in adjudicating cases involving military veterans.

— adrian walker, BostonGlobe.com, "State’s ‘Valor Act’ is a good intention gone wrong and must be fixed," 17 Jan. 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