magistrate
noun
mag·is·trate
ˈma-jə-ˌstrāt 
-strət
: an official entrusted with administration of the laws: such as
a
: a principal official exercising governmental powers over a major political unit (such as a nation)
b
: a local official exercising administrative and often judicial functions
c
: a local judiciary official having limited original jurisdiction (see jurisdiction sense 1) especially in criminal cases
Examples of magistrate in a Sentence
chose to take their case before the local magistrate
Recent Examples on the Web
Hernandez Santana is scheduled to appear Monday afternoon before a federal magistrate in Sacramento federal court.
—
Ishani Desai, Sacbee.com, 22 Sep. 2025
According to court records, the magistrate ordered the teen to be detained in the Hamilton County Youth Center.
—Quinlan Bentley, Cincinnati Enquirer, 19 Sep. 2025
Jose Manuel Gonzalez, a member of the Apache tribe, built this adobe structure in 1797 after being named alcalde, or magistrate, of the pueblo de San Jose de Guadalupe, California’s first municipal government, in 1785.
—Kate Bradshaw, Mercury News, 18 Sep. 2025
Sheila Marie Hunter, 58, allegedly set her dog on a neighbor at their Raleigh apartment complex after the two had a dispute, according to a copy of a magistrate's order filed in Wake County District Court.
—Chris Spargo, PEOPLE, 17 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for magistrate
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Ishani Desai, Sacbee.com, 22 Sep. 2025
According to court records, the magistrate ordered the teen to be detained in the Hamilton County Youth Center.
—Quinlan Bentley, Cincinnati Enquirer, 19 Sep. 2025
Jose Manuel Gonzalez, a member of the Apache tribe, built this adobe structure in 1797 after being named alcalde, or magistrate, of the pueblo de San Jose de Guadalupe, California’s first municipal government, in 1785.
—Kate Bradshaw, Mercury News, 18 Sep. 2025
Sheila Marie Hunter, 58, allegedly set her dog on a neighbor at their Raleigh apartment complex after the two had a dispute, according to a copy of a magistrate's order filed in Wake County District Court.
—Chris Spargo, PEOPLE, 17 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for magistrate
Cite this Entry
“Magistrate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/magistrate. Accessed 23 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
magistrate
noun
mag·is·trate
ˈmaj-ə-ˌstrāt
-strət
1
: a chief officer of government (as over a nation)
the president is the chief magistrate
2
: a local official with some judicial power
Legal Definition
magistrate
noun
mag·is·trate
ˈma-jə-ˌstrāt, -strət
1
: a civil or judicial official vested with limited judicial powers
a traffic magistrate
2
a
: a municipal, state, or federal judicial officer commonly authorized to issue warrants, hear minor cases, and conduct preliminary or pretrial hearings
called also magistrate judge
b
: an official (as a judge) authorized to perform the role or function of a magistrate
magistrate means an officer having power to issue a warrant for the arrest of a person charged with a public offense—Arizona Revised Statutes
Arizona Revised StatutesEtymology
Latin magistratus magistracy, magistrate, from magistr-, magister master, political superior
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