judge 1 of 2

noun

ˈjəj How to pronounce judge (audio)
Definition of judgenext
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
as in to decide
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 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

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in to understand
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 to think
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

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

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 judge
Noun
It’s expected that Saks Global will draw up a new schedule for paying vendors, which must be approved by the bankruptcy court judge. —David Moin, Footwear News, 23 Jan. 2026 The state judge has not yet issued a ruling either. —Michael Ruiz , Maria Paronich, FOXNews.com, 23 Jan. 2026
Verb
For the record, judging by the number of votes received, several people are not expecting Chevy Chase to be long for this world. —Christopher Borrelli, Chicago Tribune, 21 Jan. 2026 Given their pedigree and the stage on which they’re judged, the steers represent the best beef the cattle industry has to offer. —Miguel Otárola, Denver Post, 21 Jan. 2026 See All Example Sentences for judge
Recent Examples of Synonyms for judge
  1. referee
  2. court
  3. decide
  4. estimate
  5. understand
  6. think
  7. umpire
  8. magistrate
Noun
  • In a separate clip, Durant had a towel around his neck as the confrontation with the fan continued during a play stoppage for a referee’s video review.
    — Chantz Martin, FOXNews.com, 25 Jan. 2026
  • Perez rolled up Iyo but the referee held up the count because Rhea was late breaking it up.
    — Alfred Konuwa, Forbes.com, 25 Jan. 2026
Definition of referee
Noun
  • On visits later in the spring of my fourteenth birthday, Jim holds court on the small bank under the birch trees outside Stora Mans.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 28 Jan. 2026
  • Papoli’s divorce filing requested Goodarzi pay her legal fees, while his response asked the court to have each party cover their own costs.
    — Stepheny Price, FOXNews.com, 28 Jan. 2026
Definition of court
Verb
  • It’s been a year since Brown decided to skip college and turn his eyes onto the professional game.
    — Jacob Lev, CNN Money, 24 Jan. 2026
  • With Antetokounmpo sidelined, the Bucks could decide to pivot into more of a youth movement and let losses organically begin to pile up.
    — Bryan Toporek, Forbes.com, 24 Jan. 2026
Definition of decide
Verb
  • Researchers estimated that about 75% of this higher risk was explained by other LE8 factors, rather than sleep timing alone.
    — Dr. Joseph Wendt, ABC News, 28 Jan. 2026
  • There are estimated to be 80,000 of us in the city.
    — Katherine Packert Burke, Literary Hub, 28 Jan. 2026
Definition of estimate
Verb
  • Used by more than just psychiatrists, the DSM is considered the very foundation of how mental health issues are understood.
    — Jen Christensen, CNN Money, 28 Jan. 2026
  • Minas Panagiotakis / Getty Images MONTREAL — Cole Caufield arrived for his on-air interview between the second and third periods Tuesday night understanding the exact situation in which his Montreal Canadiens found themselves.
    — Arpon Basu, New York Times, 28 Jan. 2026
Definition of understand
Verb
  • His body was laid in state not far from the Spanish Steps — thousands queued over the two days to bid their farewells to the designer, the first, and in many ways the only, Italian to break into French haute couture back in Fifties, a postwar epoch when things like that were thought impossible.
    — Guy Martin, Forbes.com, 24 Jan. 2026
  • You'd be forgiven for thinking that money might be playing a role here.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 24 Jan. 2026
Definition of think
Noun
  • Years ago, Major League Baseball had a crisis in which umpires notoriously had their own versions of the strike zone for batters.
    — Steve Forbes, Forbes.com, 22 Jan. 2026
  • Along with serving the state of Georgia for nearly four decades, Manders had a parallel career as a baseball umpire, working the College World Series three times.
    — Adam Beam, AJC.com, 21 Jan. 2026
Definition of umpire
Noun
  • The Justice Department sought review of the magistrate judge's finding and then turned to the 8th Circuit after Schiltz, who was assigned the matter, did not — in the administration's view — move quickly enough.
    — Melissa Quinn, CBS News, 27 Jan. 2026
  • But questions began to arise the minute Espinoza Martinez was led into a magistrate judge’s courtroom for his initial appearance.
    — Jason Meisner, Chicago Tribune, 24 Jan. 2026
Definition of magistrate

Browse Nearby Words

judders
judge
judged
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Cite this Entry

“Judge.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/judge. Accessed 28 Jan. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on judge

Nglish: Translation of judge for Spanish Speakers

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