as in judge
a public official having authority to decide questions of law
chose to take their case before the local magistrate
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Recent Examples of magistrate
The union is now asking the School Board to affirm the special magistrate’s recommendation.
—
Scott Travis, Sun Sentinel, 7 Apr. 2026
The magistrate presided over a mandatory settlement conference in February that went nowhere, but the judge’s recent ruling may have altered the playing field.
—Gene Maddaus, Variety, 4 Apr. 2026
If the case takes the course prescribed under the Texas criminal procedure code and if a magistrate or a state district judge finds that Rodriguez-Singh is incompetent, she will likely be ordered admitted to a maximum-security unit at a state hospital for an attempt at competency restoration.
—Emerson Clarridge, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 4 Apr. 2026
In 16th-century Italy, gamblers could wager on the election of civic magistrates and the outcome of papal conclaves.
—Parker Bach, The Conversation, 31 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for magistrate
Scott Travis, Sun Sentinel, 7 Apr. 2026
The magistrate presided over a mandatory settlement conference in February that went nowhere, but the judge’s recent ruling may have altered the playing field.
—Gene Maddaus, Variety, 4 Apr. 2026
If the case takes the course prescribed under the Texas criminal procedure code and if a magistrate or a state district judge finds that Rodriguez-Singh is incompetent, she will likely be ordered admitted to a maximum-security unit at a state hospital for an attempt at competency restoration.
—Emerson Clarridge, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 4 Apr. 2026
In 16th-century Italy, gamblers could wager on the election of civic magistrates and the outcome of papal conclaves.
—Parker Bach, The Conversation, 31 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for magistrate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for magistrate
Noun
-
The pretrial testimony came as Robinson’s attorneys pressed a Utah judge to ban cameras from his case.—
Matthew Brown,
Chicago Tribune,
18 Apr. 2026
-
The judge was furious, setting Baldwin free.—
Meg James,
Los Angeles Times,
18 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Multi-faceted bill Among other things, the bill creates a new, private right of action that would allow citizens to file civil lawsuits against ICE agents in court.—
Christopher Keating,
Hartford Courant,
15 Apr. 2026
-
The entire Heat bench went out to check on their center, who then was helped off the court and into the locker room alongside Heat physician Harlan Selesnick.—
Ira Winderman,
Sun Sentinel,
15 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Magistrate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/magistrate. Accessed 21 Apr. 2026.
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