judge

noun

\ ˈjəj

Definition of judge

(Entry 1 of 2)

: 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

judge

verb

judged; judging

Definition of judge (Entry 2 of 2)

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

Other Words from judge Synonyms Choose the Right Synonym More Example Sentences Learn More about judge

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Choose the Right Synonym for judge

Verb

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

Last week, seven of its 15 judges signed a letter declaring that the tribunal no longer functions properly, due to political pressure. — Drew Hinshaw, WSJ, "Poland Steps Up Supreme Court Purge," 13 July 2018 Such open-mindedness is a mark of a great judge, and a prerequisite for persuading others. — Jack Goldsmith, Time, "Brett Kavanaugh Will Right the Course of the Supreme Court," 12 July 2018 As the White House’s top liaison to Capitol Hill, Short has been at the center of legislative battles over health care and tax cuts, as well as the administration’s efforts to secure Senate confirmation of federal judges and Cabinet officials. — John Wagner And Josh Dawsey, BostonGlobe.com, "Marc Short, Trump’s legislative director, becomes latest senior White House aide to depart," 12 July 2018 But Obama won confirmation of more lower court judges. — Brooks Jackson, Philly.com, "Trump's Numbers (Second Quarterly Update) | FactCheck," 11 July 2018 The winner, to be chosen by a panel of judges that includes a fashion world celebrity, will have their design replicated in rental shoes at Bowlero bowling alleys across the country. — Rick Barrett, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "New Berlin graphic designer named finalist in bowling shoe makeover contest," 11 July 2018 President Donald Trump’s nomination of conservative judge Brett Kavanaugh has pushed them over the edge. — John Kass, chicagotribune.com, "How to maintain the republic? Originalist justices like Brett Kavanaugh," 10 July 2018 Of the judges who made Trump’s shortlist, Kavanaugh was viewed as the most troublesome for environmentalists, said Jody Freeman, the founding director of Harvard’s Environmental and Energy Law Program. — Benjamin Hulac, Scientific American, "Kavanaugh’s Environmental Rulings Worry Climate Advocates," 10 July 2018 Trump chose Kavanaugh, of Maryland, from a roster of conservative judges that included Amy Coney Barrett, 46, who would have been the fourth woman seated on the current court and the only female conservative. — Celeste Katz, Glamour, "What Brett Kavanaugh's Supreme Court Nomination Could Mean for Your Abortion Rights," 9 July 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

There are multiple reasons for the lackluster showing, including the question of whether Xiaomi should be judged on its principal smartphone business or its ambitions for expanding online services. — Charlie Cambell/beijing, Time, "Lei Jun Wants to Be China’s Answer to Steve Jobs. But Trump’s Trade War Is Getting In His Way," 12 July 2018 Since 2001, iVIE has become a major video competition with hundreds of submissions judged by media professionals and educators. — Laura Groch, sandiegouniontribune.com, "North County School News, July 12," 12 July 2018 As judged by total salary commitments, this has been a relatively lean year—in so much as that can be said of a league that just doled out more than a billion dollars in new contracts. — Rob Mahoney, SI.com, "NBA Free Agency: The Thought Behind the One-Year Deal Trend," 12 July 2018 This was important, DePaulo explained, to ensure that the diners would not be judged differently because of shifting postures or expressions. — Dana Snitzky, Longreads, "Eating Alone," 6 July 2018 Juveniles sent there have been judged by the courts to have committed serious, chronic or violent offenses and typically are confined to the ranch for about seven months. — Matier & Ross, SFChronicle.com, "City closes youth corrections facility — residents keep running away," 27 June 2018 This is the signature item that separates McDonald’s from McDowell’s, and the fries that all others are judged and compared to. — Chuck Blount, San Antonio Express-News, "Critics’ pick their favorite fast food in San Antonio," 18 June 2018 Each quarter, an amateur audition show is open to anybody who wants to perform, and anyone can take the stage to be judged by a panel of seasoned performers from the Diva show. — Melissa Kravitz, Condé Nast Traveler, "The Best Drag Show in the U.S. Is at an Alaskan Dive Bar," 13 June 2018 But experts contend any solution to the crisis on the Korean Peninsula is far off, even if the summit is judged a success in the weeks to come. — Joshua Berlinger, CNN, "Singapore summit: Anxious world awaits outcome of high-stakes talks," 12 June 2018

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

History and Etymology for judge

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

Verb

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

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Dictionary Entries near judge

judge advocate general

judge delegate

Phrases Related to judge

(as) sober as a judge

as/so far as one can see/tell/judge

Statistics for judge

Last Updated

6 Sep 2018

Look-up Popularity

Time Traveler for judge

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

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More Definitions for judge

judge

verb

English Language Learners Definition of judge

(Entry 1 of 2)

: to form an opinion about (something or someone) after careful thought

: to regard (someone) as either good or bad

law : to make an official decision about (a legal case)

judge

noun

English Language Learners Definition of judge (Entry 2 of 2)

law : a person who has the power to make decisions on cases brought before a court of law

: a person who decides the winner in a contest or competition

: a person who makes a decision or judgment

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

judge

verb

\ ˈjəj

judged; judging

Kids Definition of judge

(Entry 1 of 2)

1 : to form an opinion after careful consideration I judged the distance badly.

2 : to act with authority to reach a decision (as in a trial)

3 : think sense 1 What do you judge is the best solution?

4 : to form an opinion of in comparison with others She judged pies at the fair.

judge

noun

Kids Definition of judge (Entry 2 of 2)

1 : a public official whose duty is to decide questions brought before a court

2 : a person appointed to decide in a contest or competition

3 : a person with the experience to give a meaningful opinion : critic He's a good judge of talent.

judge

verb

\ ˈjəj

judged; judging

Legal Definition of judge

(Entry 1 of 2)

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

noun

Legal Definition of judge (Entry 2 of 2)

: 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