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
If the vacancy remains, district judges may appoint a prosecutor to serve until the president nominates and the Senate confirms a replacement. — Kaelan Deese, The Washington Examiner, 1 Oct. 2026 Those levies were under scrutiny Wednesday, when judges pressed the administration on whether Greer had sufficient justification. — Eleanor Mueller, semafor.com, 1 Oct. 2026 Seven judges described a flood of cases after thousands of arrests; Judge Patrick Schiltz said the surge threatened the rule of law and accused ICE of defying nearly 100 court orders. — Alanna Durkin Richer, Los Angeles Times, 30 Sep. 2026 The company and the NFL scored three legal wins this week in the Southern District of New York, with judges dismissing lawsuits accusing the online retailer and the football league of illegally conspiring to suppress competition. — Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 30 Sep. 2026 Meanwhile, state lawmakers have held Missouri Supreme Court judges responsible for the disorienting legal battles that left the state’s congressional map uncertain. — Jack Harvel, Kansas City Star, 30 Sep. 2026 To me, Harry’s moves still feel a little too abrasive for these styles, but the judges eat up this exuberant jive. — Maggie Fremont, Vulture, 30 Sep. 2026 According to other reports, the panel of three judges lobbed skeptical questions at both lawyers. — Kate Nishimura, Footwear News, 30 Sep. 2026 His third novel Ninety-Two in the Shade was a finalist for the National Book Award; fans say its baroque intelligence and post-hippie hangover were too real for the judges. — Ryan Chapman, Literary Hub, 30 Sep. 2026
Verb
For an adolescent navigating friendships, rejection, identity and belonging, something that never judges them or gossips and is always available can be incredibly compelling. — Dr. Edith Bracho-Sanchez, CNN Money, 21 Sep. 2026 He was seen on the CBS broadcast giving one of the side judges an earful. — Ryan Gaydos Outkick, FOXNews.com, 20 Sep. 2026 Victor runs straight for a shield, and everyone judges him for it. — Alice Burton, Vulture, 18 Sep. 2026 This week’s newsletter looks at why people are drinking less alcohol, how the world judges America and how many people use chatbots like a friend. — Scott Clement, Washington Post, 3 Sep. 2026 That’s a hard sell in a market that judges most leaders on quarterly results. — IEEE Spectrum, 2 Sep. 2026 MasterChef Australia judges Yeow and Sofia Levin later spoke to 10 News about welcoming Meghan to the set, describing an enthusiastic atmosphere among the contestants. — Erin Hill, PEOPLE, 23 July 2026 Which means Beijing is regulating what your fifteen-year-old does after dinner, behind a closed door, with an entity that never tires of them, never judges them, and never has a bad day of its own. — Jason Snyder, Forbes.com, 17 July 2026 But on the third day of qualifying for Wimbledon 2026, a power outage downed the electronic line-calling system that judges whether shots are in or out, causing matches across 18 courts to be suspended for over an hour. — Caoimhe O'Neill, New York Times, 25 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for judges
Noun
  • That is, until the referees wiped it off the board because Bell’s toe had stepped out-of-bounds prior to the catch.
    — Miami Herald, Miami Herald, 5 Oct. 2026
  • As referees stopped Charlie Adams’ corner kick to separate a pair of players in the box, Adams whispered for Barea to come closer.
    — Idaho Statesman, Idaho Statesman, 4 Oct. 2026
Noun
  • The proposal would also bar courts from placing those sentenced under the provision on probation or suspending their sentences.
    — Shelby Talcott, semafor.com, 6 Oct. 2026
  • Governments from largely blue-leaning areas around the country have filed similar lawsuits seeking damages that could total billions of dollars, part of a wave of legal action worldwide seeking to leverage action through the courts.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 6 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • If India decides to limit rice exports due to concerns about domestic food insecurity, that will in turn increase global rice prices.
    — Andrew Freedman, CNN Money, 2 Oct. 2026
  • If a community decides the potential benefits of such a project (jobs and reduced taxes, for example) outweigh its costs, the municipality should be able to move forward.
    — Mary Ramsey, Charlotte Observer, 2 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • Brazil estimates that its deposits hold up to 21 million tons, second only to China.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 4 Oct. 2026
  • Quang estimates that about 20% of her customers tip and mostly for dinner service.
    — CNN Money, CNN Money, 4 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • The power of prediction markets derives precisely from sucking our attention toward what’s speculable—incentivizing the networked crowd to separate signal from noise at scale.
    — Simon Denny, Artforum, 1 Oct. 2026
  • The second type, structural assets, derives value from categorical assertion.
    — Joseph Byrum, Forbes.com, 1 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • Knowing someone's baseline characteristics is not the same as knowing what that person thinks about this decision today.
    — Leslie John, CNBC, 6 Oct. 2026
  • What to read next For Mars, the team thinks that this balance was reversed, with roughly three-quarters of its mass appearing to come from planetesimals, and the remaining quarter from pebble accretion.
    — Sharmila Kuthunur, Space.com, 6 Oct. 2026
Noun
  • The umpires have repeatedly reminded attendees to quiet down in between games.
    — Hannah Keyser, CNN Money, 8 Sep. 2026
  • If some umpires have treated Vitello differently than other managers, then that’s a poor reflection on them for betraying their impartiality.
    — Andrew Baggarly, New York Times, 4 Sep. 2026
Noun
  • Some jurists believe that shying away from new rules is appropriate.
    — Jill Lepore, New Yorker, 21 Sep. 2026
  • Alongside Gyllenhaal and Ben Hania, the jurists include English composer Daniel Blumberg, Italian professor Francesco Casetti, French writer-director Xavier Giannoli, Afghan writer-director Shahrbanoo Sadat, and Hong Kong director Johnnie To.
    — Bethy Squires, Vulture, 29 Aug. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Judges.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/judges. Accessed 9 Oct. 2026.

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