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
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
Entering a field still largely dominated by men—attorneys, arbitrators, judges, and mediators alike—Werning quickly distinguished herself.
—William Jones, USA Today, 16 Sep. 2025
To adapt to this, brands must understand how to communicate the value of their content to an entirely new set of arbitrators, including AI bots and agents.
—Bernard Marr, Forbes.com, 27 Aug. 2025
Members of the organization are from 22 countries and include economic development planners, appraisers, investors, pension fund advisers, economists, arbitrators, brokers, lenders and finance.
—Carol Cain, Freep.com, 25 Aug. 2025
When labor and management in Connecticut hammer out an agreement, there’s a strong expectation from arbitrators and the courts that these agreements will be put into practice.
—Frank Ricci, Hartford Courant, 10 Aug. 2025
Now, with the reliance of courts to act as non-political arbitrators continues to be questioned, McConnell offered a warning to the Senate about the need to continue an objective confirmation process.
—Allison Pecorin, ABC News, 20 Feb. 2025
Alligator’s reverence for the trappings and cadences of ’90s rap plays well with the kind of arbitrators who’ve put all three of Nas’s King’s Disease albums in the running for trophies.
—Craig Jenkins, Vulture, 10 Dec. 2024
This abuse gave unelected, foreign arbitrators the power to impose new obligations and liabilities on the United States.
—Robert E. Lighthizer, Foreign Affairs, 27 Sep. 2023
Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 23 Sep. 2025
Entering a field still largely dominated by men—attorneys, arbitrators, judges, and mediators alike—Werning quickly distinguished herself.
—William Jones, USA Today, 16 Sep. 2025
To adapt to this, brands must understand how to communicate the value of their content to an entirely new set of arbitrators, including AI bots and agents.
—Bernard Marr, Forbes.com, 27 Aug. 2025
Members of the organization are from 22 countries and include economic development planners, appraisers, investors, pension fund advisers, economists, arbitrators, brokers, lenders and finance.
—Carol Cain, Freep.com, 25 Aug. 2025
When labor and management in Connecticut hammer out an agreement, there’s a strong expectation from arbitrators and the courts that these agreements will be put into practice.
—Frank Ricci, Hartford Courant, 10 Aug. 2025
Now, with the reliance of courts to act as non-political arbitrators continues to be questioned, McConnell offered a warning to the Senate about the need to continue an objective confirmation process.
—Allison Pecorin, ABC News, 20 Feb. 2025
Alligator’s reverence for the trappings and cadences of ’90s rap plays well with the kind of arbitrators who’ve put all three of Nas’s King’s Disease albums in the running for trophies.
—Craig Jenkins, Vulture, 10 Dec. 2024
This abuse gave unelected, foreign arbitrators the power to impose new obligations and liabilities on the United States.
—Robert E. Lighthizer, Foreign Affairs, 27 Sep. 2023
Recent Examples of Synonyms for arbitrators
Noun
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Gordon said referees never gave him an explanation.—
Barry Jackson,
Miami Herald,
7 Nov. 2025
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This time, however, Barrymore revived the segment with a few additions, most notably a golden ping-pong trophy, sweatbands, and referees Ross Mathews and Sunny Anderson asking all the spicy questions.—
Emlyn Travis,
Entertainment Weekly,
5 Nov. 2025
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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The league will debut the Automated Ball-Strike (ABS) Challenge System to check the accuracy of umpires’ pitch calls.—
IEEE Spectrum,
IEEE Spectrum,
31 Dec. 2025
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Contemporary managers, executives and umpires will be considered in December 2026, classic era candidates in December 2027 and contemporary era players again in December 2028.—
Ronald Blum,
CBS News,
8 Dec. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Arbitrators.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/arbitrators. Accessed 9 Jan. 2026.
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