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

Examples 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
Last week a federal judge sentenced the former informant, Alexander Smirnov, to six years in prison. Lucien Bruggeman, ABC News, 13 Jan. 2025 As for the winning bottle, here is what the judges had to say about it: Big enticing aromas of malted cereal, sweet creamy milk chocolate and crisp red berries. Hudson Lindenberger, Forbes, 13 Jan. 2025
Verb
The films were judged by Abbas Yari, Ali Murat Erkorkmaz, Bijan Tehrani, Granaz Moussavi, Keely Badger, Marcy Garriott, Michael Franck, Matt Ferro, Susan Morgan Cooper, and Vladek Juszkiewicz. Matthew Carey, Deadline, 12 Jan. 2025 Biden is left defending decisions that history will judge — has judged — harshly. Matthew Continetti, National Review, 11 Jan. 2025 See all Example Sentences for judge 
Recent Examples of Synonyms for judge
Noun
  • Cash appealed for the foul and together with Youri Tielemans, marched towards referee Lewis Smith.
    Jacob Tanswell, The Athletic, 7 Jan. 2025
  • Alexander worries that professional traders could take advantage of and benefit at the expense of regular investors, comparing it to a soccer game between two teams without a referee.
    Rafael Nam, NPR, 6 Jan. 2025
Noun
  • Complicating the court’s deliberations is that the nine-member court currently only has eight justices, due to a delay in filling vacancies left by retired justices.
    Helen Regan, CNN, 13 Jan. 2025
  • The court's ruling also would expand paid sick time laws — another feature some business groups oppose.
    Joe Guillen, Axios, 13 Jan. 2025
Verb
  • Content creators and influencers must decide what to do with the looming TikTok ban.
    Emma Cortes Ellendt, Forbes, 17 Jan. 2025
  • By April 2024, Zellner decided to file a clemency petition asking that Pritzker exonerate Calusinski or release her for time served.
    Stephanie Slifer, CBS News, 17 Jan. 2025
Verb
  • In projecting a potential contract extension for Steele, The Athletic’s Tim Britton estimated a sweet spot could be a five-year deal worth around $74 million or a six-year pact valued at $96 million.
    Patrick Mooney, The Athletic, 10 Jan. 2025
  • Had the Santa Ynez Reservoir been in use in that period, Adams estimated, that demand might have been just three times as high.
    Matt Hamilton, Los Angeles Times, 10 Jan. 2025
Verb
  • Want to understand the impact of tech on your body and how to live better with your devices?
    Manuela López Restrepo, NPR, 18 Jan. 2025
  • The past week has proven a surreal one for TikTok's users and creators, many of whom are struggling to understand how this proved to be the one issue that could unite Democrats and Republicans.
    David Faris, Newsweek, 18 Jan. 2025
Verb
  • The first step businesses must take is to stop thinking about digital experiences as a competitor to the real world, designed to increase time on a screen.
    Olof Schybergson, Fortune Asia, 8 Jan. 2025
  • The analyst thinks the stock has run too far, and the risks aren’t reflected in the price.
    Jason Gewirtz, CNBC, 8 Jan. 2025
Noun
  • The home plate umpire, Larry McCoy, called it a foul ball.
    Richard Sandomir, New York Times, 2 Jan. 2025
  • The official, umpire Rod Tucker, used a towel to wipe himself off, and a team trainer looked at him.
    Chris Vannini, The Athletic, 28 Dec. 2024
Noun
  • He’s expected to plead not guilty when he’s arraigned Monday before a federal magistrate judge, a formality because magistrate judges can’t accept guilty pleas in felony cases in Minnesota.
    Steve Karnowski, Twin Cities, 3 Jan. 2025
  • Dali will appear in court before a federal magistrate Tuesday.
    Aaron Katersky, ABC News, 16 Dec. 2024

Thesaurus Entries Near judge

Cite this Entry

“Judge.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/judge. Accessed 21 Jan. 2025.

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