judge 1 of 2

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
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

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
The Federal Reserve declined to comment on the judge's Friday order. Gary Grumbach, NBC news, 13 Mar. 2026 Travis County Criminal District Court judges have warned publicly that any legitimate jury communication arrives by mail, never by phone. Dante Motley, Austin American Statesman, 13 Mar. 2026
Verb
Watch videos of real owls, and record your own calls to judge their sound. Natalie Krebs, Outdoor Life, 11 Mar. 2026 At its hearing, the zoning commission acknowledged that some residents had called on Brassard to avoid any involvement with judging Silverman’s application. Don Stacom, Hartford Courant, 10 Mar. 2026 See All Example Sentences for judge
Recent Examples of Synonyms for judge
Noun
  • Captain Antoine Dupont debated with referee Nika Amashukeli where the penalty spots were.
    ABC News, ABC News, 14 Mar. 2026
  • After the tackle, Sonis popped up and immediately addressed the referee, appearing to apologize.
    Kyle Newman, Denver Post, 14 Mar. 2026
Noun
  • Needing to go the length of the court, Palisades inbounded the ball to Levey, who was pinned along the sideline near the scorer’s table with time running out and had to launch an off-balance shot that fell short.
    Steve Galluzzo, Los Angeles Times, 11 Mar. 2026
  • Players were offered $10,000 to $30,000 bribes per game, and Smith paid players after successful bets, according to court documents.
    Joe Marusak, Charlotte Observer, 11 Mar. 2026
Verb
  • David Nichols, a neuroscientist who is an expert on psychedelics, told me about a woman with alcohol-use disorder who realized during a psilocybin trip that her drinking was harming her children and decided to stop.
    Clayton Dalton, New Yorker, 13 Mar. 2026
  • But deciding how that system should evolve, how data should flow, how governance must adapt, and how compliance risk is mitigated requires human reasoning.
    Milan Shetti, Fortune, 13 Mar. 2026
Verb
  • It is estimated that there are 500,000 detectable earthquakes in the world each year.
    CA Earthquake Bot, Sacbee.com, 11 Mar. 2026
  • The Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority estimates about 6,290 RVs are being used as makeshift dwellings across the county.
    Matthew Ormseth, Los Angeles Times, 11 Mar. 2026
Verb
  • The resulting insights are intended to help scientists understand how the ocean is changing and what those changes mean for the planet.
    Ashley Mackin Solomon, San Diego Union-Tribune, 11 Mar. 2026
  • Royal Canadian Mounted Police Chief Superintendent Chris Leather called it a national security incident and said the national police force is working with Toronto police to understand the motive.
    Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 11 Mar. 2026
Verb
  • So if a person thinks about moving their hand, the device reads those brain signals and turns them into an actual movement.
    Christopher McFadden, Interesting Engineering, 14 Mar. 2026
  • Or if a military machine with someone at the top pooh-poohing ROE thinks the rules are still a top priority.
    Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 14 Mar. 2026
Noun
  • Instead, home plate umpire Chris Guccione had to wait to hear from the technician in the press box and then announce the result of the challenge.
    Kevin Acee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 10 Mar. 2026
  • Especially in an era when fans can look at a rectangular box on their TV and tell if the umpire is right.
    Kevin Sherrington Mar. 9, Dallas Morning News, 9 Mar. 2026
Noun
  • When are magistrates going to keep bad guys behind bars?
    Stepheny Price, FOXNews.com, 7 Mar. 2026
  • When a legislator files a claim bill on behalf of the injured person, staff attorneys for the House and Senate act as a magistrate, and hold a hearing based on evidence from the trial or settlement, and beyond.
    Alexandra Glorioso, Miami Herald, 5 Mar. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Judge.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/judge. Accessed 17 Mar. 2026.

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