arbiters

plural of arbiter
as in referees
a person who impartially decides or resolves a dispute or controversy the dean of student affairs is the proper arbiter when a student disputes a grade

Synonyms & Similar Words

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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 arbiters The move publicly challenges the accuracy of the state’s death determinations in an extraordinary move that breaks precedent that states are the arbiters of case and death determinations, not the CDC. Beth Mole, ArsTechnica, 1 Sep. 2026 Two of the arbiters accompanied Espada to the pitcher’s mound, where Brown handed Espada the baseball. Chandler Rome, New York Times, 23 Aug. 2026 For the next fifty years, insurance companies, not doctors, were the chief arbiters of corpulence. Literary Hub, 17 Aug. 2026 This setup, wherein a group of arbiters hide behind a curtain like the Wizard of Oz and hand down decisions that inflict generational trauma on entire countries, almost feels purposefully built to invite all sorts of wild speculation. Jay Caspian Kang, New Yorker, 14 July 2026 Just as decisions should be devolved to the smallest competent unit rather than centralized bureaucracies, customers — as the ultimate arbiters of value — must be empowered to judge what truly serves their needs and dignity. Steve Denning, Forbes.com, 31 May 2026 Moreover, clinicians are winning more than 70% of IDR disputes because independent arbiters recognize that insurers are underpaying. Torie Bosch, STAT, 11 Apr. 2026 Later, criticism also came from arbiters of high modernism, such as Clement Greenberg, who wrote off New Deal art as kitsch for the masses. Judith Shulevitz, The Atlantic, 9 Apr. 2026 Are the corporations that release the powerful technology the arbiters of their fate? Jake Angelo, Fortune, 6 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for arbiters
Noun
  • That may come in the form of a big special-teams play, a heads-up stop by a defender or even questionable calls by the referees.
    Shaun Goodwin, Idaho Statesman, 6 Sep. 2026
  • Yellow flags Nothing did more damage to UConn’s defense in Saturday’s opener than the little yellow flags that fluttered onto the field from the referees’ waistband.
    Joe Arruda, Hartford Courant, 6 Sep. 2026
Noun
  • When the judges announce Jude as the winner, Bi, Anna, and Joseph don’t look surprised, and each gets a small hopeful comment at the end.
    Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 11 Sep. 2026
  • The panel of three judges nominated by Democratic former President Joe Biden agreed with the plaintiffs that the president does not have the power to regulate states' election policy.
    NICHOLAS RICCARDI, Arkansas Online, 11 Sep. 2026
Noun
  • 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
  • Royals Manager Matt Quatraro gets tossed after umpires reverse a run scoring balk taking away a run from the Royals.
    Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 2 Sep. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Arbiters.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/arbiters. Accessed 15 Sep. 2026.

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