judge 1 of 2

1
as in referee
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

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2
as in court
a public official having authority to decide questions of law the judge gave the defendant a suspended sentence

Synonyms & Similar Words

judge

2 of 2

verb

1
2
as in to estimate
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

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Synonym Chooser

How is the word judge distinct from other similar verbs?

Some common synonyms of judge are conclude, deduce, gather, and infer. While all these words mean "to arrive at a mental conclusion," judge stresses a weighing of the evidence on which a conclusion is based.

judge people by their actions

When could conclude be used to replace judge?

The words conclude and judge are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, conclude implies arriving at a necessary inference at the end of a chain of reasoning.

concluded that only the accused could be guilty

How do deduce and infer relate to one another, in the sense of judge?

Deduce often adds to infer the special implication of drawing a particular inference from a generalization.

denied we could deduce anything important from human mortality

When is it sensible to use gather instead of judge?

In some situations, the words gather and judge are roughly equivalent. However, gather suggests an intuitive forming of a conclusion from implications.

gathered their desire to be alone without a word

When can infer be used instead of judge?

While the synonyms infer and judge are close in meaning, infer implies arriving at a conclusion by reasoning from evidence; if the evidence is slight, the term comes close to surmise.

from that remark, I inferred that they knew each other

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 judge
Noun
The judge declared the current subpoena invalid but gave Kohberger's lawyers a chance to amend it. Michael Ruiz , Kailey Schuyler, FOXNews.com, 30 June 2025 During a federal hearing in New York, a witness told the judge more than four dozen women who prosecutors consider credible have come forward with allegations about the brothers. Grethel Aguila, Miami Herald, 30 June 2025
Verb
The 46th Annual News & Documentary Emmy Awards received more than 2200 submissions from the calendar year of 2024, and nominations were judged by a pool of more than 980 people from across the television and streaming/digital media news and documentary community. Michael Schneider, Variety, 27 June 2025 Getz is almost two years into his rebuild, which is way too early to judge it a success or failure. Paul Sullivan, Chicago Tribune, 27 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for judge
Recent Examples of Synonyms for judge
Noun
  • Sometimes, referees failed to call a foul, sparking fan outrage.
    Jackson Thompson, FOXNews.com, 22 June 2025
  • New for some refs, too The NBA doesn’t announce referee assignments until game day, so it won’t be known until Sunday morning who the three-person crew is for Game 7.
    Tim Reynolds, Los Angeles Times, 21 June 2025
Noun
  • Just as an adult who commits a crime is brought before a court commissioner and then sent before a judge for a bail review to determine their eligibility for release, these juvenile offenders should be treated in the same manner.
    Ivan J. Bates, Baltimore Sun, 30 June 2025
  • Immigration courts fall under the federal executive branch, not the judicial branch, like most courts.
    Renata Daou, Hartford Courant, 30 June 2025
Verb
  • After a marathon session, the Senate narrowly passed their version of the legislation with Vice President Vance having to cast the deciding vote.
    JJ Kinahan, Forbes.com, 2 July 2025
  • What happens next: The 12-member jury will deliberate until a verdict is decided.
    Olivia Munson, USA Today, 1 July 2025
Verb
  • Forbes estimates Leener’s sponsorships for F1 have brought in at least $40 million, covering a significant part of a production budget that may be as high as $300 million.
    Matt Craig, Forbes.com, 27 June 2025
  • Astronomers estimate that an asteroid this large comes this close to Earth only about once every 7,500 years.
    ArsTechnica, ArsTechnica, 27 June 2025
Verb
  • If not, the Kings might come to understand why Kerr couldn’t always trust Kuminga in key situations.
    Jason Anderson July 5, Sacbee.com, 5 July 2025
  • To better understand the risks and inform public debate, the French food safety agency ANSES ran multiple studies to measure microplastic levels in everyday foods, especially seafood and beverages.
    Pranjal Malewar, New Atlas, 5 July 2025
Verb
  • While the unified front welcoming Trump to The Hague may prioritize maintaining the NATO alliance, 23 of the 32 member countries have reached the 2% of GDP spending threshold—and experts think some will reach 5% by or before 2035.
    Nino Paoli, Fortune, 25 June 2025
  • And there are some who have been thinking that pretty well describes opening a Mexican restaurant on Kavanaugh Boulevard in Little Rock’s Pulaski Heights, along a strip in which there are already two similar establishments (Heights Taco & Tamale and Baja Grill).
    Eric E. Harrison, Arkansas Online, 25 June 2025
Noun
  • Burns started Judge with a slider near the top of the zone that home plate umpire Mark Wegner called a ball, even though MLB’s GameDay showed the pitch easily inside the zone.
    C. Trent Rosecrans, New York Times, 24 June 2025
  • Schnall was ejected in the first inning after an argument with home plate umpire Angel Campos.
    Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 23 June 2025
Noun
  • The bombs did not distinguish between evil magistrates and political prisoners, or the 18- to 20-year-old conscripts tasked with escorting them.
    Siamak Namazi, Time, 25 June 2025
  • Meer Deen, a union representative, testified during a May 14 magistrate hearing with union and city attorneys, according to a court transcript.
    Angie DiMichele, Sun Sentinel, 19 June 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Judge.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/judge. Accessed 8 Jul. 2025.

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