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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
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
1
as in decides
to give an opinion about (something at issue or in dispute)
the committee will judge the case solely on the evidence
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in derives
to form an opinion or reach a conclusion through reasoning and information
I judge that the girl has had a troubled relationship with her mother
Synonyms & Similar Words
4
as in thinks
to have as an opinion
I judge that he knew what kind of woman she was when he married her
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Recent Examples of judges
David Hilzenrath,
USA Today,
2 July 2026
By the early twentieth century, lawyers and judges considered natural law to be irrelevant to the legal system, and the language all but disappeared from legal arguments and decisions.
—
Jeannie Suk Gersen,
New Yorker,
2 July 2026
That conclusion is increasingly shared by scholars, business leaders, and judges.
—
Joseph Andrew,
Forbes.com,
2 July 2026
Mohamed’s asylum application was denied, and immigration judges ordered him to leave in 2001 and later rejected his appeal in 2002.
—
Julia Coin
updated July 2,
Charlotte Observer,
2 July 2026
The same judges have already handed down harsher sentences to eight people who were convicted at trial, including a former Marine reservist who received a 100-year prison term.
—
Jamie Stengle,
Los Angeles Times,
1 July 2026
The judges were desperately hoping that everything would go well.
—
Raechal Shewfelt,
Entertainment Weekly,
1 July 2026
It’s been a long day of smoking, smiling, spieling judges, and taking pictures with fans.
—
Sam Stone,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
1 July 2026
On June 18, a panel of three judges unanimously sided with the DOI, reversing a ruling the city won in February.
—
Danny Freeman,
CNN Money,
28 June 2026
Caoimhe O'Neill,
New York Times,
25 June 2026
The order created an AI Litigation Task Force inside the DOJ, gave it until January 10 to stand up, and pointed it at any state rule the administration judges too heavy a burden on the technology.
—
Dara-Abasi Ita,
Forbes.com,
20 June 2026
This time, judges Katy Perry, Luke Bryan, and Lionel Richie convinced him to give the show another shot, igniting his journey all the way to the finale.
—
James Mercadante,
Entertainment Weekly,
11 June 2026
The truck just leans into the work and gets on with life like a ranch foreman who drinks coffee black and silently judges your hitch setup.
—
New Atlas,
27 May 2026
Portnoy travels to cities around the world and judges their pizza scene by taking a single bite (or more) of a cheese pizza and giving it a review.
—
Irene Wright,
USA Today,
26 May 2026
American Idol judges Lionel Richie, Carrie Underwood and Luke Bryan reacted to Seacrest’s on-air announcement with a mix of shock and confusion.
—
Samantha Stutsman,
PEOPLE,
6 Apr. 2026
In episode three, Mary judges Eleanor pretty harshly for her choices with Robert.
—
Brande Victorian,
HollywoodReporter,
1 Apr. 2026
The program, which launched last month, gave half a dozen Los Angeles County civil court judges access to AI software called Learned Hand.
—
James Queally,
Los Angeles Times,
18 Mar. 2026
Noun
In at least four cases, judges have granted summary judgment in favor of Abbott — ruling for the company before the lawsuits reached trial.
—
David Hilzenrath,
USA Today,
2 July 2026
By the early twentieth century, lawyers and judges considered natural law to be irrelevant to the legal system, and the language all but disappeared from legal arguments and decisions.
—
Jeannie Suk Gersen,
New Yorker,
2 July 2026
That conclusion is increasingly shared by scholars, business leaders, and judges.
—
Joseph Andrew,
Forbes.com,
2 July 2026
Mohamed’s asylum application was denied, and immigration judges ordered him to leave in 2001 and later rejected his appeal in 2002.
—
Julia Coin
updated July 2,
Charlotte Observer,
2 July 2026
The same judges have already handed down harsher sentences to eight people who were convicted at trial, including a former Marine reservist who received a 100-year prison term.
—
Jamie Stengle,
Los Angeles Times,
1 July 2026
The judges were desperately hoping that everything would go well.
—
Raechal Shewfelt,
Entertainment Weekly,
1 July 2026
It’s been a long day of smoking, smiling, spieling judges, and taking pictures with fans.
—
Sam Stone,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
1 July 2026
On June 18, a panel of three judges unanimously sided with the DOI, reversing a ruling the city won in February.
—
Danny Freeman,
CNN Money,
28 June 2026
Verb
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
The order created an AI Litigation Task Force inside the DOJ, gave it until January 10 to stand up, and pointed it at any state rule the administration judges too heavy a burden on the technology.
—
Dara-Abasi Ita,
Forbes.com,
20 June 2026
This time, judges Katy Perry, Luke Bryan, and Lionel Richie convinced him to give the show another shot, igniting his journey all the way to the finale.
—
James Mercadante,
Entertainment Weekly,
11 June 2026
The truck just leans into the work and gets on with life like a ranch foreman who drinks coffee black and silently judges your hitch setup.
—
New Atlas,
27 May 2026
Portnoy travels to cities around the world and judges their pizza scene by taking a single bite (or more) of a cheese pizza and giving it a review.
—
Irene Wright,
USA Today,
26 May 2026
American Idol judges Lionel Richie, Carrie Underwood and Luke Bryan reacted to Seacrest’s on-air announcement with a mix of shock and confusion.
—
Samantha Stutsman,
PEOPLE,
6 Apr. 2026
In episode three, Mary judges Eleanor pretty harshly for her choices with Robert.
—
Brande Victorian,
HollywoodReporter,
1 Apr. 2026
The program, which launched last month, gave half a dozen Los Angeles County civil court judges access to AI software called Learned Hand.
—
James Queally,
Los Angeles Times,
18 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for judges
Noun
-
After the referees blew the whistle dead in the fourth quarter, Clark and Bonner got entangled in an exchange of words.
-
Indiana Fever fan-favorite Sophie Cunningham made a blunt statement about Caitlin Clark's treatment in the WNBA by opposing players and referees on Saturday.
Noun
-
Assembly Bill 46, carried by Assemblymember Stephanie Nguyen, D-Elk Grove, removes a legal standard that restricted courts’ ability to deny diversion.
-
Walton had found his calling in the courts and lawyers, then as now, often dabbled in politics.
Verb
-
Michelle, who is smarting from Jesse and Lacy’s visible affection, decides to go full Coyote Ugly on the bar.
-
If a corporation decides to pursue innovation outsourcing, a key consideration is to be transparent with your VC partner.
Verb
-
The United Nations estimates that gang violence has killed over 2,300 people in Haiti since the beginning of this year.
-
Using Google Maps, NBC News estimates that the video shows that at least eight apartment blocks have been levelled, along with shops and other stores along the roadside.
Verb
-
His celebrated Lectures on Law repeatedly returned to natural rights, popular sovereignty, and the proposition that law derives its authority not merely from power but from justice.
-
Turning a game of two halves into one of four quarters, pausing a sport that derives much of its power and mystique from a clock that never stops, has been universally unpopular.
Verb
-
Celebrity nail artist Queenie Nguyen thinks so—and there's no more perfect manicure than Capri Blue to match the moment.
-
Putin thinks that time is on his side, that Western support will peter out and that Ukraine’s resistance will eventually collapse under pressure from strategic bombing, analysts say.
Noun
-
Jake Mangum then hit a grounder to third baseman Kyle Karros, and the game ended when umpires determined Karros was interfered with by Billy Cook.
-
The umpires saw it differently.
Noun
-
The commission of inquiry, which called on international bodies to hold Israeli officials to account, is composed of three senior international jurists and chaired by the former Indian judge Srinivasan Muralidhar.
-
Eskin favors changing the system for choosing judges to one in which jurists are appointed to a single 15-year term, eliminating the need for elections while also ensuring that jurists do eventually leave the bench to make way for others.
Cite this Entry
“Judges.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/judges. Accessed 6 Jul. 2026.
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