as in referees
a person who impartially decides or resolves a dispute or controversy
the couple finally agreed to let the salesclerk be the final arbitrator and tell them which shirt looked best
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Recent Examples of arbitrators
The three independent arbitrators Major League Baseball and the Players Association jointly select to decide cases are notoriously unpredictable, making the outcome on Skubal anyone’s guess.
—
Ken Rosenthal, New York Times, 12 Jan. 2026
ExxonMobil received $908 million from arbitrators in 2012.
—Business Columnist, Los Angeles Times, 12 Jan. 2026
An arbitration hearing enables the Royals and a player — including his agent and attorney — to have a panel of neutral arbitrators determine the value of the player’s contract for the coming season (in this case, 2026).
—Jaylon Thompson, Kansas City Star, 9 Jan. 2026
Ryan’s 2026 salary will likely be settled by a panel by arbitrators in the coming weeks.
—Betsy Helfand, Twin Cities, 9 Jan. 2026
The player and club will then go to a hearing and make their case before a panel of arbitrators, who will choose either the player’s figure or the team’s figure, but nothing in between.
—Mac Cerullo, Boston Herald, 8 Jan. 2026
Those will go to a panel of five arbitrators appointed by the council.
—Elliott Wenzler, Denver Post, 31 Dec. 2025
Range’s filing nods to findings of CAA losing the case, with arbitrators concluding that its noncompetes are invalid.
—Winston Cho, HollywoodReporter, 25 Nov. 2025
While a losing party can petition a court to vacate an arbitration decision, judges are obligated under federal law to give arbitrators high deference and to only vacate an award in exceptional circumstances.
—Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 23 Sep. 2025
Ken Rosenthal, New York Times, 12 Jan. 2026
ExxonMobil received $908 million from arbitrators in 2012.
—Business Columnist, Los Angeles Times, 12 Jan. 2026
An arbitration hearing enables the Royals and a player — including his agent and attorney — to have a panel of neutral arbitrators determine the value of the player’s contract for the coming season (in this case, 2026).
—Jaylon Thompson, Kansas City Star, 9 Jan. 2026
Ryan’s 2026 salary will likely be settled by a panel by arbitrators in the coming weeks.
—Betsy Helfand, Twin Cities, 9 Jan. 2026
The player and club will then go to a hearing and make their case before a panel of arbitrators, who will choose either the player’s figure or the team’s figure, but nothing in between.
—Mac Cerullo, Boston Herald, 8 Jan. 2026
Those will go to a panel of five arbitrators appointed by the council.
—Elliott Wenzler, Denver Post, 31 Dec. 2025
Range’s filing nods to findings of CAA losing the case, with arbitrators concluding that its noncompetes are invalid.
—Winston Cho, HollywoodReporter, 25 Nov. 2025
While a losing party can petition a court to vacate an arbitration decision, judges are obligated under federal law to give arbitrators high deference and to only vacate an award in exceptional circumstances.
—Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 23 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for arbitrators
Noun
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Compared to cricket and rugby, perhaps compared to other footballing countries, referees regularly make high-profile mistakes in the Premier League, and the introduction of the VAR system has been shambolic at times.—
Tim Spiers,
New York Times,
26 Jan. 2026
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That makes the task of sorting wheat from chaff much more time-consuming for editors and referees, and also more technically difficult.—
Ross Andersen,
The Atlantic,
22 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Regardless of which party is calling for the impeachment of judges, the outcome is unlikely to result in a conviction by the Senate.—
Kaelan Deese,
The Washington Examiner,
8 Jan. 2026
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RuPaul’s Drag Race features mainstay judges RuPaul Charles, Michelle Visage, Carson Kressley, Ross Mathews, and Ts Madison.—
Armando Tinoco,
Deadline,
7 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Years ago, Major League Baseball had a crisis in which umpires notoriously had their own versions of the strike zone for batters.—
Steve Forbes,
Forbes.com,
22 Jan. 2026
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That committee is set to vote later this year on managers, executives and umpires, with Bruce Bochy and Dusty Baker among those who could be elected for the Class of 2027.—
Peter Sblendorio,
New York Daily News,
21 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Arbitrators.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/arbitrators. Accessed 30 Jan. 2026.
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