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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
as in courts
a public official having authority to decide questions of law
the judge gave the defendant a suspended sentence
Synonyms & Similar Words
1
as in decides
to give an opinion about (something at issue or in dispute)
the committee will judge the case solely on the evidence
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in derives
to form an opinion or reach a conclusion through reasoning and information
I judge that the girl has had a troubled relationship with her mother
Synonyms & Similar Words
4
as in thinks
to have as an opinion
I judge that he knew what kind of woman she was when he married her
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of judges
Sarah D. Wire, USA Today, 29 Mar. 2026
The foundation’s judges and awards subcommittee members – the latter a volunteer group of industry professionals, academics, writers and reviewers that changes every year – also search on their own.
—Dallas Morning News, 29 Mar. 2026
Fortune initially beat Marcin Tybura by unanimous decision at UFC Fight Night, receiving judges' scores of 30-27, 29-28 and 29-28.
—Chantz Martin, FOXNews.com, 29 Mar. 2026
The experience culminated in live pitches, where students presented their inventions and explained their problem-solving process to both parents and a panel of local judges.
—News Release, San Diego Union-Tribune, 29 Mar. 2026
As the years went by, judges complained that the city’s in-house lawyers had fumbled key casework.
—Joe Mahr, Chicago Tribune, 29 Mar. 2026
More than 30% of federal judges are 75 years or older, according to data from the federal court system.
—Carrie Johnson, NPR, 29 Mar. 2026
The critiques from fans and even previous Drag Race winners have been much more positive, though, with many criticizing the judges' comments.
—Isa Almeida, Oklahoman, 28 Mar. 2026
The reform proposes splitting it into three separate chambers and altering how members are chosen, replacing internal elections with selections by lottery from eligible judges and prosecutors.
—ABC News, 22 Mar. 2026
James Queally, Los Angeles Times, 18 Mar. 2026
With that in mind, here are the top 10 starters with at least 100 pitches thrown this spring so far, ranked by Stuff+, which judges pitches by their physical qualities alone.
—Eno Sarris, New York Times, 13 Mar. 2026
On Monday, Ninth Circuit judges Holly Thomas, Anthony Johnstone, and Joan Lefkow held an oral argument.
—Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 11 Mar. 2026
When smearing peanut butter on bread, the robot watches the knife deflect down and crush the bread and judges forces from that.
—Deni Ellis Béchard, Scientific American, 2 Mar. 2026
But Herzog never judges or condescends to Treadwell, even if his involvement in documenting the fallout becomes increasingly complicated.
—Eric Farwell, Entertainment Weekly, 21 Feb. 2026
Alongside him, judges Carrie Underwood, Luke Bryan, and Lionel Richie will return for their second year as a trio.
—Marina Johnson, Louisville Courier Journal, 9 Feb. 2026
Portnoy travels to cities around the world and judges their pizza scene by taking a single bite (or more) of a cheese pizza and giving it a review.
—Irene Wright, USA Today, 3 Feb. 2026
The winner was chosen by an independent panel, which each year judges the entries on artistic achievement.
—Thomas Smith, Billboard, 16 Oct. 2025
Noun
In October, the Justice Department filed criminal charges against James that have since been thrown out successive times by federal judges.
—Sarah D. Wire, USA Today, 29 Mar. 2026
The foundation’s judges and awards subcommittee members – the latter a volunteer group of industry professionals, academics, writers and reviewers that changes every year – also search on their own.
—Dallas Morning News, 29 Mar. 2026
Fortune initially beat Marcin Tybura by unanimous decision at UFC Fight Night, receiving judges' scores of 30-27, 29-28 and 29-28.
—Chantz Martin, FOXNews.com, 29 Mar. 2026
The experience culminated in live pitches, where students presented their inventions and explained their problem-solving process to both parents and a panel of local judges.
—News Release, San Diego Union-Tribune, 29 Mar. 2026
As the years went by, judges complained that the city’s in-house lawyers had fumbled key casework.
—Joe Mahr, Chicago Tribune, 29 Mar. 2026
More than 30% of federal judges are 75 years or older, according to data from the federal court system.
—Carrie Johnson, NPR, 29 Mar. 2026
The critiques from fans and even previous Drag Race winners have been much more positive, though, with many criticizing the judges' comments.
—Isa Almeida, Oklahoman, 28 Mar. 2026
The reform proposes splitting it into three separate chambers and altering how members are chosen, replacing internal elections with selections by lottery from eligible judges and prosecutors.
—ABC News, 22 Mar. 2026
Verb
The program, which launched last month, gave half a dozen Los Angeles County civil court judges access to AI software called Learned Hand.
—James Queally, Los Angeles Times, 18 Mar. 2026
With that in mind, here are the top 10 starters with at least 100 pitches thrown this spring so far, ranked by Stuff+, which judges pitches by their physical qualities alone.
—Eno Sarris, New York Times, 13 Mar. 2026
On Monday, Ninth Circuit judges Holly Thomas, Anthony Johnstone, and Joan Lefkow held an oral argument.
—Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 11 Mar. 2026
When smearing peanut butter on bread, the robot watches the knife deflect down and crush the bread and judges forces from that.
—Deni Ellis Béchard, Scientific American, 2 Mar. 2026
But Herzog never judges or condescends to Treadwell, even if his involvement in documenting the fallout becomes increasingly complicated.
—Eric Farwell, Entertainment Weekly, 21 Feb. 2026
Alongside him, judges Carrie Underwood, Luke Bryan, and Lionel Richie will return for their second year as a trio.
—Marina Johnson, Louisville Courier Journal, 9 Feb. 2026
Portnoy travels to cities around the world and judges their pizza scene by taking a single bite (or more) of a cheese pizza and giving it a review.
—Irene Wright, USA Today, 3 Feb. 2026
The winner was chosen by an independent panel, which each year judges the entries on artistic achievement.
—Thomas Smith, Billboard, 16 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for judges
Noun
-
Decked in bold colors and never shy to dress down referees in a heated moment, Mulkey won national titles at Baylor in 2005, 2012 and 2019 at LSU in 2023.—
Joe Davidson,
Sacbee.com,
24 Mar. 2026
-
Then Santa Clara coach Herb Sendek tried calling timeout to set up the team’s defense, but the referees apparently missed it.—
Tim Rohan,
NBC news,
23 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Jim Steyer, the chief executive of Common Sense Media, said the outcomes so far show that the courts, state legislatures and foreign governments are now aligning to reshape Silicon Valley.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
26 Mar. 2026
-
While some of the students were flying through the sky for dunks and layups, the impact of the courts goes beyond hoops, too.—
Jason Beede,
The Orlando Sentinel,
26 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Carolyn decides to attend Rory’s wedding.—
Rafaela Bassili,
Vulture,
27 Mar. 2026
-
This is the kind of error that looks obvious in retrospect and invisible until someone decides to check.—
Paul M. Sutter,
Scientific American,
27 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Dotter estimates 25 to 45 defendants a year would be civilly committed if the bill passes.—
Shaun Boyd,
CBS News,
27 Mar. 2026
-
The report estimates about 200,000 people were displaced in the violence in Sweida, the heartland of Syria's Druze community.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
27 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Tucked deeper into nature than its older sibling in Windham, Eastwind Oliverea Valley derives its special sauce from its harmony with its surroundings, complementing rather than taking away from the landscape.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
30 Mar. 2026
-
Formed in Basel, Switzerland, in 1974, Hesperion XXI derives its name from the Classical Greek word for the people of the Italian and Iberian peninsulas.—
Sheila Regan,
Twin Cities,
29 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
No one thinks about the miles of underground pipes, and pumping stations and filtration operations between the tap and the source.—
Karl Schneider,
IndyStar,
31 Mar. 2026
-
Still, Andreessen thinks AI is a smoke screen for layoffs.—
Jake Angelo,
Fortune,
31 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Confusion ensued among the umpires.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
29 Mar. 2026
-
Human umpires still make every call on the field.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
28 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Her story shines a light on the aging judiciary, where the average age of federal jurists is 69.—
Carrie Johnson,
NPR,
29 Mar. 2026
-
Shaw and others, including Villareal, say a crush of new voters — or at least those who don’t regularly vote in Democratic primaries — was one of the main reasons six of the 10 incumbent jurists on the ballot were ousted.—
Molly Smith,
San Antonio Express-News,
20 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Judges.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/judges. Accessed 1 Apr. 2026.
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