1,400 new words in our dictionary! — Parasocial, glow-up, promposal & more
1,400 new words in our dictionary! — More

umpire 1 of 2

noun

ˈəm-ˌpī(-ə)r How to pronounce umpire (audio)
Definition of umpirenext
as in referee
a person who impartially decides or resolves a dispute or controversy usually acts as umpire in the all-too-frequent squabbles between the two other roommates

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

umpire

2 of 2

verb

as in to decide
to give an opinion about (something at issue or in dispute) in our family disputes regarding the use of our home entertainment system are umpired by Dad

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 umpire
Noun
During a second-round match between two of tennis’ most combustible personalities, Ilie Nastase and John McEnroe, chair umpire Frank Hammond penalized and eventually defaulted Nastase for his behavior. — Douglas Robson, Los Angeles Times, 6 Sep. 2026 Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol argued with plate umpire Doug Eddings and was ejected. — ABC News, 5 Sep. 2026
Verb
Ogilvie has also squeezed in umpiring the last three years. — Steve Brand, San Diego Union-Tribune, 21 Apr. 2026 Despite reportedly taking some violent blows to the head and wrestling the alleged thief to the ground, Ballou was able to umpire the Phillies’ game the next night. — Peter Chawaga, Forbes.com, 16 Apr. 2026 See All Example Sentences for umpire
Recent Examples of Synonyms for umpire
  1. referee
  2. decide
  3. judge
  4. settle
  5. determine
  6. arbitrate
  7. adjudicate
  8. adjudge
Noun
  • And it was destined to fail, to do more harm than good, at the moment soccer’s lawmakers left both decisions entirely in the hands of referees.
    — Henry Bushnell, New York Times, 16 Sep. 2026
Definition of referee
Verb
  • What input did the NFL have in the Highmark Stadium field when the team decided to switch to grass after 54 years?
    — Tim Graham, New York Times, 11 Sep. 2026
  • Boeing and Lockheed Martin at first provided only tentative funding for Vulcan’s development, then ULA waited until 2018 to select an engine for Vulcan, deciding on Blue Origin’s BE-4 over Aerojet Rocketdyne’s AR1.
    — Stephen Clark, ArsTechnica, 11 Sep. 2026
Definition of decide
Noun
  • Plates and cake forks were distributed by a young waitress also borrowed from Lyons, from the Corner House on Coventry Street, who cut the cakes and handed round slices to the judges.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 15 Sep. 2026
  • Earlier this month, a federal judge in Boston had issued a preliminary injunction against USPS, blocking the mailing agency from imposing those new ballot requirements on states.
    — Hansi Lo Wang, NPR, 14 Sep. 2026
Definition of judge
Verb
  • The tropical cyclone reached Category 5, defined by sustained winds of 157 mph or greater, overnight Friday before losing some of its steam and settling into Category 4’s limits of sustained winds of 130 to 156 mph by Saturday.
    — Dennis Romero, NBC news, 6 Sep. 2026
  • Our offensive weapons give Kyler a perfect runway to land the plane, finally settling into an environment that can nurture his skill set and get a payday in a prove-it year.
    — Adam Coleman, New York Times, 6 Sep. 2026
Definition of settle
Verb
  • The suit, brought by 13 named and four anonymous researchers, is seeking to halt the process of searching applications and current grants for specific terms to determine if they should be rejected.
    — Anil Oza, STAT, 17 Sep. 2026
  • That can help pilots determine a target’s range more quickly.
    — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 17 Sep. 2026
Definition of determine
Verb
  • Even at the height of Jewish segregation, Jews might work in partnership with Christians, call on Christians to arbitrate in disputes, or be welcomed into Christian homes as friends.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 8 Sep. 2026
  • In each instance, once parties have agreed to arbitrate, a court may confirm and enforce the resulting arbitration award, subject to limited grounds for setting it aside.
    — Asma Uddin, The Conversation, 31 Aug. 2026
Definition of arbitrate
Verb
  • The events recreate Ireland’s own experience with the actor Scott Shepherd in 2012, an act that was messily adjudicated before MeToo, and which, as of Pre-Existing Condition, is still a raw thing.
    — Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 15 Sep. 2026
  • Officials’ body Pro Ref admitted making an error in judgement when VAR adjudicated that Erling Haaland was onside for the winner.
    — Conor O'Neill, New York Times, 14 Sep. 2026
Definition of adjudicate
Verb
  • Antoine Griezmann, France vs Croatia, 2018 Griezmann restores France’s lead with a penalty after Ivan Perisic was adjudged to have handled in the box.
    — Adam Hurrey, New York Times, 17 July 2026
  • Tampa Bay Lightning forward Nikita Kucherov won the Hart Trophy as the NHL player adjudged to be the most valuable to his team, marking the second such honor of his career after also winning the award in 2019.
    — Mercury News, Mercury News, 12 June 2026
Definition of adjudge

Browse Nearby Words

umiaks
umpire
umpired
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Umpire.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/umpire. Accessed 19 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on umpire

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about umpire

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of aggrandize

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

Words from the 'Odyssey'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Words of the Week - Sept. 18
See More

Popular

See More

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
crayons-in-a-circle
Guess the Color Quiz Questions that use the whole box of crayons.
See All