1
as in referees
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
Relevance
2
as in courts
a public official having authority to decide questions of law
the judge gave the defendant a suspended sentence
Synonyms & Similar Words
1
as in decides
to give an opinion about (something at issue or in dispute)
the committee will judge the case solely on the evidence
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in estimates
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
3
as in derives
to form an opinion or reach a conclusion through reasoning and information
I judge that the girl has had a troubled relationship with her mother
Synonyms & Similar Words
4
as in thinks
to have as an opinion
I judge that he knew what kind of woman she was when he married her
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of judges
Brianne Tracy, PEOPLE, 29 Oct. 2025
All four judges — Cheryl Burke was a guest judge — awarded the duo 8s for a total of 32.
—Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 29 Oct. 2025
Cheryl Burke slams 'cruel' speculation about her appearance The two-time champion also reflected on the difficulties of navigating the dynamic between dancing pros and the judges.
—Kimi Robinson, USA Today, 28 Oct. 2025
Sometimes singers on The Voice move the celebrity judges with the power or emotion in their voice.
—Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 28 Oct. 2025
Burke is a two-time mirrorball champion herself, following in the long line of former professional dancers turned temporary, one-night only judges.
—Mckinley Franklin, HollywoodReporter, 28 Oct. 2025
Traditionally, two of the 11 circuit seats have been filled by Wisconsin judges.
—Lawrence Andrea, jsonline.com, 27 Oct. 2025
On June 19, a three-judge Ninth Circuit panel—Judges Mark J. Bennett, Eric D. Miller, and Jennifer Sung—granted Trump’s request for a stay of the district-court order.
—Robert Alexander, MSNBC Newsweek, 23 Oct. 2025
Circuit Judges Amul Thapar, Chad Readler and Whitney Hermandorfer reasoned that the NCAA’s appeal of an injunction is no longer necessary.
—Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 1 Oct. 2025
Thomas Smith, Billboard, 16 Oct. 2025
Joining judges Bruno Tonioli, Carrie Ann Inaba and Derek Hough this week is former dancing pro Kym Johnson.
—Brianne Tracy, PEOPLE, 15 Oct. 2025
As West reports, Dubno’s update puts us in the head of an unnamed twentysomething who judges her peers at a cocktail party.
—Brittany Allen, Literary Hub, 25 Sep. 2025
Along with hosting Taskmaster, Horne serves as the umpire for each challenge, while Davies judges the performances and awards points on how well the contestants do.
—Jason Pham, StyleCaster, 25 Sep. 2025
Your point about being present reminds me of the scene where Jack judges the girl for taking a selfie on the rooftop and Heather calls him out.
—Carly Thomas, HollywoodReporter, 20 Aug. 2025
Figuring out critical consensus requires polling your community, and with more films being made and submitted to festivals than ever before, who judges these competition matters.
—Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 9 Aug. 2025
That shift — from hype to proof — is redefining how the market judges AI investments.
—Kolawole Samuel Adebayo, Forbes.com, 9 Aug. 2025
Who are the Red Bull Flugtag judges?
—Haadiza Ogwude, The Enquirer, 12 Aug. 2023
Noun
The co-hosts announced the results —a combination of judges' scores and live votes — in no particular order.
—Brianne Tracy, PEOPLE, 29 Oct. 2025
All four judges — Cheryl Burke was a guest judge — awarded the duo 8s for a total of 32.
—Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 29 Oct. 2025
Cheryl Burke slams 'cruel' speculation about her appearance The two-time champion also reflected on the difficulties of navigating the dynamic between dancing pros and the judges.
—Kimi Robinson, USA Today, 28 Oct. 2025
Sometimes singers on The Voice move the celebrity judges with the power or emotion in their voice.
—Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 28 Oct. 2025
Burke is a two-time mirrorball champion herself, following in the long line of former professional dancers turned temporary, one-night only judges.
—Mckinley Franklin, HollywoodReporter, 28 Oct. 2025
Traditionally, two of the 11 circuit seats have been filled by Wisconsin judges.
—Lawrence Andrea, jsonline.com, 27 Oct. 2025
On June 19, a three-judge Ninth Circuit panel—Judges Mark J. Bennett, Eric D. Miller, and Jennifer Sung—granted Trump’s request for a stay of the district-court order.
—Robert Alexander, MSNBC Newsweek, 23 Oct. 2025
Circuit Judges Amul Thapar, Chad Readler and Whitney Hermandorfer reasoned that the NCAA’s appeal of an injunction is no longer necessary.
—Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 1 Oct. 2025
Verb
The winner was chosen by an independent panel, which each year judges the entries on artistic achievement.
—Thomas Smith, Billboard, 16 Oct. 2025
Joining judges Bruno Tonioli, Carrie Ann Inaba and Derek Hough this week is former dancing pro Kym Johnson.
—Brianne Tracy, PEOPLE, 15 Oct. 2025
As West reports, Dubno’s update puts us in the head of an unnamed twentysomething who judges her peers at a cocktail party.
—Brittany Allen, Literary Hub, 25 Sep. 2025
Along with hosting Taskmaster, Horne serves as the umpire for each challenge, while Davies judges the performances and awards points on how well the contestants do.
—Jason Pham, StyleCaster, 25 Sep. 2025
Your point about being present reminds me of the scene where Jack judges the girl for taking a selfie on the rooftop and Heather calls him out.
—Carly Thomas, HollywoodReporter, 20 Aug. 2025
Figuring out critical consensus requires polling your community, and with more films being made and submitted to festivals than ever before, who judges these competition matters.
—Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 9 Aug. 2025
That shift — from hype to proof — is redefining how the market judges AI investments.
—Kolawole Samuel Adebayo, Forbes.com, 9 Aug. 2025
Who are the Red Bull Flugtag judges?
—Haadiza Ogwude, The Enquirer, 12 Aug. 2023
Recent Examples of Synonyms for judges
Noun
-
But after conferencing, referees Garrett Rank and Gord Dwyer ruled that former Wild Justin Brazeau interfered with Gustavsson.—
Michael Russo,
New York Times,
31 Oct. 2025
-
Fox News Digital reached out to the Broncos, the NFL and the NFL referees association for comment on Surtain’s theory.—
Ryan Canfield,
FOXNews.com,
30 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Last January, Padel United opened with six indoor courts and top-tier wellness amenities including a sauna, steam room, hot and cold plunge pools, and a 40-foot indoor mineral pool.—
Alexandra Kirkman,
Fortune,
29 Oct. 2025
-
This evidence would not go unnoticed by the courts.—
Andrew Quinio,
Oc Register,
29 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Sympathetic, apparently, to Geralt’s quest to save Ciri, Regis decides to join the gang on the road — though a closing shot of Regis privately savoring the scent of Geralt’s blood on a cloth raises some troubling questions for the show to answer down the road.—
Scott Meslow,
Vulture,
30 Oct. 2025
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Summary judgment, where the court decides which claims go to trial, will provide a clearer picture.—
Winston Cho,
HollywoodReporter,
29 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
From industry sources, Fortune estimates that at an annual run rate, the three directs areas combined—the traditional variety, CVs, and co-invests—are raising well over $5 billion a year.—
Shawn Tully,
Fortune,
1 Nov. 2025
-
The organization estimates that approximately 190 million women have the disease worldwide.—
Madison E. Goldberg,
PEOPLE,
31 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Paradoxically, France derives fully 70% of its electricity from nuclear energy, due its long-standing policy based on energy security.—
Jeffrey Sonnenfeld,
Time,
22 Oct. 2025
-
After the Christmas festivities conclude, Aruba’s attentions turn to Dande, a tradition whose name derives from the word for to wander in Papiamento, the Creole language that spans the ABC islands of the southern Caribbean.—
Mark Ellwood,
AFAR Media,
20 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Englund thinks the character struck a chord because Freddy was the symbol for a loss of innocence.—
Jenelle Riley,
Variety,
31 Oct. 2025
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Meyer thinks Ohio State offensive coordinator Brian Hartline is ready for a head coaching job after working under head coach Ryan Day.—
Jordan Sigler,
MSNBC Newsweek,
31 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
As Iglesias got close to the umps, the 57-year-old bespectacled manager pivoted and pulled Iglesias back, moved in front of him and held his ground while Iglesias and now Bogaerts shouted at the umpires.—
Tom Krasovic,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
13 Oct. 2025
-
This led to a heated interaction between Padres players and the umpires.—
Valentina Martinez,
MSNBC Newsweek,
10 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
The Bonhoeffers constituted a long line of pastors, doctors, scientists, and jurists.—
Alex Ross,
New Yorker,
21 Oct. 2025
-
The integrity of our system of justice and the judicial system is based on the trust that people place in the jurists that populate that branch, the third branch of government.—
John E. Jones III,
The Conversation,
5 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Judges.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/judges. Accessed 4 Nov. 2025.
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