judge

noun

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\ 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 Phrases Containing judge Learn More About judge

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. See More

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun His father, Steven Mostofsky, is a state court judge in Brooklyn. — Arkansas Online, 7 May 2022 His father, Steven Mostofsky, is a state court judge in Brooklyn. — Michael Kunzelman, ajc, 6 May 2022 Her father, Arthur Lenhoff, was a judge on the Austrian Constitutional Court, the nation’s highest tribunal. — Sam Roberts, New York Times, 6 May 2022 Back in 2003 Naomi Judd was a judge on Star search.. — J. Kim Murphy, Variety, 30 Apr. 2022 The other was the judge hearing the case, Erika Aifán, one of the most respected jurists in the country. — Jonathan Blitzer, The New Yorker, 29 Apr. 2022 Suskauer is not the first judge to turn punishments into teachable moments for defendants. — Washington Post, 27 Apr. 2022 Judge Laurel Beatty Blunt is a judge for the Ohio 10th District Court of Appeals. — Kwame Christian, Forbes, 27 Apr. 2022 This year, Leong continues being a judge on MasterChef alongside Jock Zonfrillo and Andy Allen. — Alicia Vrajlal, refinery29.com, 27 Apr. 2022 Recent Examples on the Web: Verb Tim Leyendekker, Nduka Mntambo and Rieke Vos will judge the Ammodo Tiger Short competition. — K.j. Yossman, Variety, 7 Jan. 2022 The advisory board will therefore judge an additional pool of Turkish designers who specialize in women’s ready-to-wear and name a winner. — ELLE, 29 Apr. 2022 So judge Calla breezy said there was no determination of fault since the case was settled out of court. — Laura Johnston, cleveland, 27 Apr. 2022 Greatness, of course, is subjective and every individual will judge Hatch’s legacy for themselves. — Robert Gehrke, The Salt Lake Tribune, 25 Apr. 2022 Some of those creditors failed to persuade the bankruptcy court judge that the bid should be nullified because Russia had just invaded Ukraine, and a lot of bidders were scared off by the uncertainty of world politics. — Los Angeles Times, 12 Apr. 2022 Earlier this year, Red Bull USA asked me to help judge the aerobatic portion of its Paper Wings competition, the world’s largest paper airplane contest. — Jennifer Leman, Popular Mechanics, 7 Apr. 2022 The second group of Good, Bad and Cuddly singers takes the Masked Singer stage Wednesday night — and judge Ken Jeong brings his usual far-fetched guesses. — Dana Rose Falcone, PEOPLE.com, 30 Mar. 2022 Another jurist, retired state appeals judge Lynne A. Battaglia, on Friday rejected the state’s congressional map, approved by the Democratic-majority General Assembly, as unconstitutional. — Darcy Costello, Baltimore Sun, 25 Mar. 2022 See More

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

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Dictionary Entries Near judge

Judg

judge

judge advocate

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Last Updated

11 May 2022

Cite this Entry

“Judge.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/judge. Accessed 16 May. 2022.

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More Definitions for judge

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