adjudicator

1
as in referee
a person who impartially decides or resolves a dispute or controversy since they seemed to be in a hopeless stalemate, both labor and management agreed to use an independent adjudicator to decide the terms of the contract

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2
as in judge
a public official having authority to decide questions of law the appellate court refused to hear the case, thus allowing the judgment of previous adjudicators to stand

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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 adjudicator In recent months, EOIR leadership has criticized judges for not efficiently managing their caseloads, and has encouraged adjudicators to streamline asylum reviews and give oral, as opposed to written, decisions on case dismissals. Ximena Bustillo, NPR, 23 Sep. 2025 Edlow told The Associated Press that the guidance was intended to identify support for terrorist ideologies—not to penalize ordinary political criticism—when adjudicators evaluated applicants for green cards and other benefits. Andrew Stanton, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 Sep. 2025 This led to many longtime employees of companies leaving the United States when USCIS adjudicators rejected their H-1B applications. Stuart Anderson, Forbes.com, 28 Aug. 2025 Under the plans, an independent body of adjudicators would be created to handle asylum appeals and reduce the backlog of 106,000 cases, including 51,000 appeals with average wait times exceeding a year. Reuters, CNN Money, 24 Aug. 2025 An official adjudicator from Guinness World Records was onsite, according to the lottery. Brenton Blanchet, People.com, 16 Aug. 2025 Similarly, the program still has eight adjudicators, known as special masters, to review all cases before the government. Matthew Perrone, Chicago Tribune, 7 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for adjudicator
Noun
  • The Atletico head coach appeared to gesture to the stands while walking towards the fourth official, before being shown a red card by referee Maurizio Mariani.
    Jessica Hopkins, New York Times, 30 Sep. 2025
  • Late in the fourth quarter of Game 3, Reeve was seen aggressively pursuing a referee.
    Chantz Martin, FOXNews.com, 30 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • And in fact, a jury -- a jury may look at this, and certainly, as Dan said, a judge will look at this.
    ABC News, ABC News, 28 Sep. 2025
  • Everyone, the perpetrators, the defendants, the judge, the whole community, would just pour their hearts out.
    Jennifer Wilson, New Yorker, 28 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • This zone is crucial for pitch framing, where catchers use their presentation to influence umpires into calling borderline pitches strikes.
    Patrick Saunders, Denver Post, 27 Sep. 2025
  • Springer’s comments suggested that the umpires were actively looking for ways to drive the Blue Jays down in the standings so that the Yankees could take the division.
    Peter Chawaga, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • In addition to yards of open grassy areas for Pickles and Franklin to roam freely, there is a pool, sauna, pickleball court, outdoor kitchen, and lots of shaded or umbrella-covered seating.
    Lennie Omalza, Louisville Courier Journal, 2 Oct. 2025
  • Both sides have been meeting to negotiate a resolution to the fight even as the legal challenges played out in court.
    Khaleda Rahman, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 Oct. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Adjudicator.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/adjudicator. Accessed 2 Oct. 2025.

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