judges 1 of 2

Definition of judgesnext
plural of judge
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

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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

judges

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of judge
1
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

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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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 judges
Noun
At the same time, Reisz said, lawyers are pushing judges who oversee the cases to act swiftly, since interminable procedural delays ensure people remain incarcerated. Sonja Sharp, Los Angeles Times, 19 Apr. 2026 The remaining judges saw their caseloads balloon. Lauren Villagran, USA Today, 19 Apr. 2026 Sometimes the reception to my style was not ideal, especially when judges would clock my handmade or altered garments as cheap or not properly steamed. Gabe Montesanti, PEOPLE, 19 Apr. 2026 The panel says stay is meant to give judges time to consider emergency motion. Steven Portnoy, ABC News, 18 Apr. 2026 The appellate judges found Cook County Judge Barbara Dawkins incorrectly denied a motion last year filed by several Chicago media outlets to lift a protective order on the footage. Sam Charles, Chicago Tribune, 17 Apr. 2026 Now, these 10 finalists will pitch live at the festival next month in front of a panel of industry judges including showrunners, producers and executives. Katie Campione, Deadline, 17 Apr. 2026 Democrat wins Wisconsin Supreme Court race Wisconsin Supreme Court candidates, Court of Appeals Judges Maria Lazar, left, and Chris Taylor. Elizabeth Robinson, NBC news, 8 Apr. 2026 At Judges’ Table, Anthony, Sherry, and Duyen make the top three. Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 7 Apr. 2026
Verb
American Idol judges Lionel Richie, Carrie Underwood and Luke Bryan reacted to Seacrest’s on-air announcement with a mix of shock and confusion. Samantha Stutsman, PEOPLE, 6 Apr. 2026 In episode three, Mary judges Eleanor pretty harshly for her choices with Robert. Brande Victorian, HollywoodReporter, 1 Apr. 2026 The program, which launched last month, gave half a dozen Los Angeles County civil court judges access to AI software called Learned Hand. James Queally, Los Angeles Times, 18 Mar. 2026 With that in mind, here are the top 10 starters with at least 100 pitches thrown this spring so far, ranked by Stuff+, which judges pitches by their physical qualities alone. Eno Sarris, New York Times, 13 Mar. 2026 On Monday, Ninth Circuit judges Holly Thomas, Anthony Johnstone, and Joan Lefkow held an oral argument. Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 11 Mar. 2026 When smearing peanut butter on bread, the robot watches the knife deflect down and crush the bread and judges forces from that. Deni Ellis Béchard, Scientific American, 2 Mar. 2026 But Herzog never judges or condescends to Treadwell, even if his involvement in documenting the fallout becomes increasingly complicated. Eric Farwell, Entertainment Weekly, 21 Feb. 2026 Alongside him, judges Carrie Underwood, Luke Bryan, and Lionel Richie will return for their second year as a trio. Marina Johnson, Louisville Courier Journal, 9 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for judges
Noun
  • One can see why wrestling appealed to him—the crowd is everything, the rules mean nothing, and the referees are so feckless that they often get knocked out and everyone laughs.
    Zach Helfand, New Yorker, 20 Apr. 2026
  • To maintain the integrity of the game, the matches were closely watched by referees who halted them because of poor timing or form.
    Brian Cheung, NBC news, 20 Apr. 2026
Noun
  • But the move comes as scam texts impersonating toll agencies, courts and banks are surging nationwide.
    Joshua Sidorowicz, CBS News, 22 Apr. 2026
  • Yet Trump’s previous attempt to remove a Fed governor, Lisa Cook, has been tied up in courts.
    Christopher Rugaber, Chicago Tribune, 21 Apr. 2026
Verb
  • Whatever the team decides, Lomu sounds happy to oblige.
    Andrew Callahan, Boston Herald, 24 Apr. 2026
  • If two of the richest companies in the world are racing to control the sky, who decides how that access is priced and delivered?
    Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 24 Apr. 2026
Verb
  • The Congressional Budget Office estimates a nearly $300 billion shortfall in the HTF over the next 10 years, with the fund becoming insolvent starting in 2028.
    Andrew Stasiowski, Boston Herald, 24 Apr. 2026
  • Hochul estimates that about 13,000 non-primary homes in New York City valued at $5 million or more will be subject to the tax.
    Robert Frank, CNBC, 24 Apr. 2026
Verb
  • The Cherokee Nation today derives about 40% of its income from casinos, down from 80% or 90% about 20 years ago.
    Keith Sharon, USA Today, 19 Apr. 2026
  • But the success of the fool of the family derives from his occasionally discerning what others miss, most notably by attention to the concerns of the lower middle class, which determines American elections despite having few representatives of its own in Washington.
    George Liebmann, Baltimore Sun, 11 Apr. 2026
Verb
  • Lynch thinks the lack of star power will force more trades during the draft.
    Vic Tafur, New York Times, 21 Apr. 2026
  • Berkus shared of Poppy's wise words on how the world thinks a girl should be.
    Natalia Senanayake, PEOPLE, 21 Apr. 2026
Noun
  • Gilbert argued that none of the three umpires made the out signal on the ball hit to left.
    Lou Ponsi, Oc Register, 23 Apr. 2026
  • Two umpires from the Japanese Table Tennis Association judged the games.
    Matt O’Brien, Los Angeles Times, 23 Apr. 2026
Noun
  • The Federalist Society and its liberal cousin, the American Constitution Society, serve as guardians of the separate ecosystems in which the jurists live, socialize, and build their reputations.
    Peter S. Canellos, The Atlantic, 10 Apr. 2026
  • The president has repeatedly attacked federal judges and Supreme Court justices who have ruled against his policies, at times singling out individual jurists by name and questioning their motives or legitimacy.
    Gabe Whisnant, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 Apr. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Judges.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/judges. Accessed 27 Apr. 2026.

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