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

magistratical

ˌma-jə-ˈstra-ti-kəl 

adjective

Synonyms

• adjudicator
• beak [chiefly British]
• bench
• court
• judge
• jurist
• justice

Examples of magistrate in a Sentence

chose to take their case before the local magistrate

Recent Examples on the Web

Weeks after his arrest in August, a federal magistrate judge ordered a competency hearing for Sidhwaney. —Antonio Planas, NBC News, 2 Apr. 2024

Giardino claims Gallagher relieved him from his position as court magistrate after announcing his run to unseat him. —Jaime Moore-Carrillo, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 6 Mar. 2024

At the hearing, the magistrate listened to a video expert as well as additional testimony suggesting the route from the crime scene to Blockbuster was longer than previously accepted. —Harriet Ryan, Los Angeles Times, 28 Feb. 2024

Each morning, organized in neat piles on a long wooden table in front of the high dais that was the magistrate’s perch, case folders accumulated, painstakingly prepared by court staff for the eviction attorneys. —Mya Frazier, Harper's Magazine, 26 Feb. 2024

Giardino said he was fired from his position as a magistrate in Tarrant County shortly after beginning his campaign to be judge. —James Hartley, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 13 Feb. 2024

Prosecutors persuaded Boasberg to overrule the magistrate's decision. —CBS News, 31 Jan. 2024

Nearby, Matt Brown, a member of the Arkansas legislature, monitored the noise alongside a local magistrate. —Gabriel J.x. Dance, New York Times, 17 Jan. 2024

But in 2011, a federal magistrate judge read the petition Coleman had written on a typewriter in his cell and granted him an evidentiary hearing. —Harriet Ryan, Los Angeles Times, 28 Feb. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English magestrat, from Latin magistratus magistracy, magistrate, from magistr-, magister master, political superior — more at master

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing magistrate

• magistrate's court

Kids 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

Etymology

Middle English magestrat "magistrate," from Latin magistratus (same meaning), from magister "master, one who holds a higher political office" — related to maestro, master

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

Etymology

Latin magistratus magistracy, magistrate, from magistr- magister master, political superior