magistrate
noun
mag·is·trate
ˈma-jə-ˌstrāt 
-strət
: an official entrusted with administration of the laws: such as
a
: a principal official exercising governmental powers over a major political unit (such as a nation)
b
: a local official exercising administrative and often judicial functions
c
: a local judiciary official having limited original jurisdiction (see jurisdiction sense 1) especially in criminal cases
Examples of magistrate in a Sentence
chose to take their case before the local magistrate
Recent Examples on the Web
Courtesy: Dona Ana County Jail) Cano, a former Doña Ana County magistrate judge, and his wife, Nancy Cano, both face charges of tampering with evidence, jail records show.
—
Kevin Breuninger,dan Mangan, CNBC, 25 Apr. 2025
The first three groups of 73 migrants transferred there in October, November and January spent only a few hours in Albania and were returned to Italy after Italian magistrates refused to validate their detention in the non-EU country.
—Erion Xhabafti, Los Angeles Times, 13 Apr. 2025
That same day, the agency obtained a federal arrest warrant and criminal complaint from a U.S. magistrate judge and transferred her to the U.S. Marshals Service.
—Ron Estes, MSNBC Newsweek, 28 Mar. 2025
This surprised several county magistrates, who said jail staff had promised a year ago to begin consistently forwarding them to the court.
—Ilana Panich-Linsman, New York Times, 25 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for magistrate
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Kevin Breuninger,dan Mangan, CNBC, 25 Apr. 2025
The first three groups of 73 migrants transferred there in October, November and January spent only a few hours in Albania and were returned to Italy after Italian magistrates refused to validate their detention in the non-EU country.
—Erion Xhabafti, Los Angeles Times, 13 Apr. 2025
That same day, the agency obtained a federal arrest warrant and criminal complaint from a U.S. magistrate judge and transferred her to the U.S. Marshals Service.
—Ron Estes, MSNBC Newsweek, 28 Mar. 2025
This surprised several county magistrates, who said jail staff had promised a year ago to begin consistently forwarding them to the court.
—Ilana Panich-Linsman, New York Times, 25 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for magistrate
Cite this Entry
“Magistrate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/magistrate. Accessed 4 May. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
magistrate
noun
mag·is·trate
ˈmaj-ə-ˌstrāt
-strət
1
: a chief officer of government (as over a nation)
the president is the chief magistrate
2
: a local official with some judicial power
Legal Definition
magistrate
noun
mag·is·trate
ˈma-jə-ˌstrāt, -strət
1
: a civil or judicial official vested with limited judicial powers
a traffic magistrate
2
a
: a municipal, state, or federal judicial officer commonly authorized to issue warrants, hear minor cases, and conduct preliminary or pretrial hearings
called also magistrate judge
b
: an official (as a judge) authorized to perform the role or function of a magistrate
magistrate means an officer having power to issue a warrant for the arrest of a person charged with a public offense—Arizona Revised Statutes
Arizona Revised StatutesEtymology
Latin magistratus magistracy, magistrate, from magistr-, magister master, political superior
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