judges 1 of 2

Definition of judgesnext
plural of judge
1
as in referees
a person who impartially decides or resolves a dispute or controversy their father always played the role of judge when there was a disagreement between the siblings

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2
as in courts
a public official having authority to decide questions of law the judge gave the defendant a suspended sentence

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judges

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of judge
1
2
as in estimates
to decide the size, amount, number, or distance of (something) without actual measurement considering the amount of dough we have, I judge we'll get about six dozen cookies out of it

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of judges
Noun
Backed by the United Nations and staffed with international judges, the court issued its first verdict in 2022. — Arkansas Online, 24 Sep. 2026 My amendment accomplishes this goal simply by granting an antitrust exemption so that college athletes and schools can make their own deals, without unelected judges or politicians micromanaging every detail of compensation and eligibility. — Sen. Rand Paul Outkick, FOXNews.com, 24 Sep. 2026 Federal judges, prosecutors and defense attorneys have all chimed in, saying the transfer, which is underway, will waste taxpayer dollars, create massive backlogs and complications in court proceedings, and endanger inmates’ constitutional rights. — Aj Willingham, AJC.com, 24 Sep. 2026 The dancer dazzled the judges and left the audience’s jaws on the ground with his captivating, Matrix-like audition. — Skyler Caruso, PEOPLE, 24 Sep. 2026 The judges have been upfront about scoring from a lower starting point so people have room to grow, but when a tango is as good as this Heated Rivalry–inspired one, it should be rewarded. — Maggie Fremont, Vulture, 23 Sep. 2026 The underlying logic is that if parties contractually agree to arbitrate their grievances, which Moore and other professional tennis players do, judges ought to treat the outcome as final, assuming there are no extraordinary circumstances. — Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 23 Sep. 2026 After being indicted in June 2025, McCray appeared at a federal court hearing and made further threats against government employees and district judges, the release stated. — Shambhavi Rimal, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 23 Sep. 2026 But after the dance, the judges took Dewan’s prior experience as a touring backup dancer for the likes of Janet Jackson and Missy Elliott into account, hitting her with a rough round of critiques. — Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 17 Sep. 2026
Verb
For an adolescent navigating friendships, rejection, identity and belonging, something that never judges them or gossips and is always available can be incredibly compelling. — Dr. Edith Bracho-Sanchez, CNN Money, 21 Sep. 2026 He was seen on the CBS broadcast giving one of the side judges an earful. — Ryan Gaydos Outkick, FOXNews.com, 20 Sep. 2026 Victor runs straight for a shield, and everyone judges him for it. — Alice Burton, Vulture, 18 Sep. 2026 This week’s newsletter looks at why people are drinking less alcohol, how the world judges America and how many people use chatbots like a friend. — Scott Clement, Washington Post, 3 Sep. 2026 That’s a hard sell in a market that judges most leaders on quarterly results. — IEEE Spectrum, 2 Sep. 2026 MasterChef Australia judges Yeow and Sofia Levin later spoke to 10 News about welcoming Meghan to the set, describing an enthusiastic atmosphere among the contestants. — Erin Hill, PEOPLE, 23 July 2026 Which means Beijing is regulating what your fifteen-year-old does after dinner, behind a closed door, with an entity that never tires of them, never judges them, and never has a bad day of its own. — Jason Snyder, Forbes.com, 17 July 2026 But on the third day of qualifying for Wimbledon 2026, a power outage downed the electronic line-calling system that judges whether shots are in or out, causing matches across 18 courts to be suspended for over an hour. — Caoimhe O'Neill, New York Times, 25 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for judges
Noun
  • In fairness to the referees making that controversial call, Sieler was also flagged for what would have been a holding call that was declined.
    — Omar Kelly, Miami Herald, 27 Sep. 2026
  • The deranged belief that NFL referees assist the Chiefs would have fueled outrage on social media had the Chiefs won in that manner.
    — Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 21 Sep. 2026
Noun
  • Machado, one of Venezuela’s most popular political leaders, was barred from running in Venezuela’s last presidential election by courts under the control of former President Nicolás Maduro.
    — Clyburn Saint John, Los Angeles Times, 28 Sep. 2026
  • The opinion has since helped climate change activists worldwide boost their cases in local courts.
    — Tereza Pultarova, Space.com, 28 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • Set in the summer of 1970, the story turns on the diligent civil servant Heikki who decides to host a high-ranking Soviet diplomat at his family’s lakeside cottage.
    — Annika Pham, Variety, 25 Sep. 2026
  • In Nobody Wants This, agnostic podcaster Joanne Williams (Kristen Bell) begins an unexpected romance with Rabbi Noah Roklov (Brody), which shakes both their families as Joanne immerses herself in Noah’s culture and decides to convert to Judaism.
    — Glenn Garner, Deadline, 25 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • The free cash flow generated over the past year alone is enough to repurchase 8% to 10% of shares outstanding, BofA estimates.
    — Zev Fima,Kevin Stankiewicz, CNBC, 27 Sep. 2026
  • Georgia Power estimates this system will deliver 900 million dollars in net savings for ordinary customers over the working life of the reactors.
    — Aman Tripathi, Interesting Engineering, 26 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • Such authority derives from followers’ belief that a leader possesses exceptional qualities or abilities.
    — Morgan Shipley, The Conversation, 21 Sep. 2026
  • The shoe’s name derives from the studded accents seen throughout, dotting the straps for a punk-rock finish.
    — Amina Ayoud, Footwear News, 18 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • Lucie Neouze Lucie Neouze thinks of getting dressed as building a city on the body, treating garments as architecture in motion.
    — Lily Templeton, Footwear News, 29 Sep. 2026
  • But Deutsche’s Kraft thinks investors are missing the bigger picture.
    — Fred Imbert, CNBC, 29 Sep. 2026
Noun
  • The umpires have repeatedly reminded attendees to quiet down in between games.
    — Hannah Keyser, CNN Money, 8 Sep. 2026
  • If some umpires have treated Vitello differently than other managers, then that’s a poor reflection on them for betraying their impartiality.
    — Andrew Baggarly, New York Times, 4 Sep. 2026
Noun
  • Some jurists believe that shying away from new rules is appropriate.
    — Jill Lepore, New Yorker, 21 Sep. 2026
  • Alongside Gyllenhaal and Ben Hania, the jurists include English composer Daniel Blumberg, Italian professor Francesco Casetti, French writer-director Xavier Giannoli, Afghan writer-director Shahrbanoo Sadat, and Hong Kong director Johnnie To.
    — Bethy Squires, Vulture, 29 Aug. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Judges.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/judges. Accessed 1 Oct. 2026.

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