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
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Recent Examples of judges
Arkansas Online, 16 Feb. 2026
This decision has led city councils to adopt new ordinances, judges to adjust their advisements for defendants and prosecutors and defense attorneys to negotiate plea deals under new guidelines.
—Sam Tabachnik, Denver Post, 15 Feb. 2026
The program includes interviews from the show's creators, participants and judges, according to Netflix.
—Taylor Ardrey, USA Today, 15 Feb. 2026
The judges were Julius Erving, fellow Hall of Famer Dominique Wilkins, Dwight Howard, Corey Maggette and Brent Barry.
—Benjamin Royer, Oc Register, 15 Feb. 2026
Especially in the judges’ eyes.
—Nick Canepa, San Diego Union-Tribune, 15 Feb. 2026
After saluting the judges and exchanging high fives and hugs with her teammates, the Houston native saw her perfect 10 posted and collapsed.
—Dakayla Hawkins, Daily News, 15 Feb. 2026
This conduct stoked public outrage, triggered backlash from local officials and prompted judges to intervene.
—Natasha Korecki, NBC news, 14 Feb. 2026
They’re being heard in front of judges who are often elected officials — by the local fans of those schools — and who may have even attended college at the school involved.
—Stewart Mandel, New York Times, 14 Feb. 2026
Marina Johnson, Louisville Courier Journal, 9 Feb. 2026
His component score, which judges a skater’s composition, presentation and skating skills each up to 10 points, also was higher than every other competitor.
—Los Angeles Times, 7 Feb. 2026
The Five Principles Survey, which is conducted roughly every six months, judges the Tottenham ownership against five tests which THST agreed with the board of the club itself.
—Jack Pitt-Brooke, New York Times, 4 Feb. 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, 3 Feb. 2026
The winner was chosen by an independent panel, which each year judges the entries on artistic achievement.
—Thomas Smith, Billboard, 16 Oct. 2025
Joining judges Bruno Tonioli, Carrie Ann Inaba and Derek Hough this week is former dancing pro Kym Johnson.
—Brianne Tracy, PEOPLE, 15 Oct. 2025
As West reports, Dubno’s update puts us in the head of an unnamed twentysomething who judges her peers at a cocktail party.
—Brittany Allen, Literary Hub, 25 Sep. 2025
Along with hosting Taskmaster, Horne serves as the umpire for each challenge, while Davies judges the performances and awards points on how well the contestants do.
—Jason Pham, StyleCaster, 25 Sep. 2025
Noun
Judicial warrants are issued by judges when they are presented with probable cause and allow law enforcement officers to enter and search a person's residence.
—Arkansas Online, 16 Feb. 2026
This decision has led city councils to adopt new ordinances, judges to adjust their advisements for defendants and prosecutors and defense attorneys to negotiate plea deals under new guidelines.
—Sam Tabachnik, Denver Post, 15 Feb. 2026
The program includes interviews from the show's creators, participants and judges, according to Netflix.
—Taylor Ardrey, USA Today, 15 Feb. 2026
The judges were Julius Erving, fellow Hall of Famer Dominique Wilkins, Dwight Howard, Corey Maggette and Brent Barry.
—Benjamin Royer, Oc Register, 15 Feb. 2026
Especially in the judges’ eyes.
—Nick Canepa, San Diego Union-Tribune, 15 Feb. 2026
After saluting the judges and exchanging high fives and hugs with her teammates, the Houston native saw her perfect 10 posted and collapsed.
—Dakayla Hawkins, Daily News, 15 Feb. 2026
This conduct stoked public outrage, triggered backlash from local officials and prompted judges to intervene.
—Natasha Korecki, NBC news, 14 Feb. 2026
They’re being heard in front of judges who are often elected officials — by the local fans of those schools — and who may have even attended college at the school involved.
—Stewart Mandel, New York Times, 14 Feb. 2026
Verb
Alongside him, judges Carrie Underwood, Luke Bryan, and Lionel Richie will return for their second year as a trio.
—Marina Johnson, Louisville Courier Journal, 9 Feb. 2026
His component score, which judges a skater’s composition, presentation and skating skills each up to 10 points, also was higher than every other competitor.
—Los Angeles Times, 7 Feb. 2026
The Five Principles Survey, which is conducted roughly every six months, judges the Tottenham ownership against five tests which THST agreed with the board of the club itself.
—Jack Pitt-Brooke, New York Times, 4 Feb. 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, 3 Feb. 2026
The winner was chosen by an independent panel, which each year judges the entries on artistic achievement.
—Thomas Smith, Billboard, 16 Oct. 2025
Joining judges Bruno Tonioli, Carrie Ann Inaba and Derek Hough this week is former dancing pro Kym Johnson.
—Brianne Tracy, PEOPLE, 15 Oct. 2025
As West reports, Dubno’s update puts us in the head of an unnamed twentysomething who judges her peers at a cocktail party.
—Brittany Allen, Literary Hub, 25 Sep. 2025
Along with hosting Taskmaster, Horne serves as the umpire for each challenge, while Davies judges the performances and awards points on how well the contestants do.
—Jason Pham, StyleCaster, 25 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for judges
Noun
-
Smith is one of only a handful of Black referees in NFL history to lead a Super Bowl crew.—
Terrance Friday,
CBS News,
11 Feb. 2026
-
The boys’ team helped set up the gym, ran score tables, assisted referees, reset the mats for title matches, and sat mat-side cheering throughout the finals.—
Stephanie Ogilvie,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
11 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Andrii Yakovliev, a defense counsel and expert on international humanitarian and criminal law at the Media Initiative for Human Rights, a Ukrainian NGO, told CNN that Ukraine ensures the conditions are in place for a fair trial, and that, in general, the country’s courts respect due process.—
Daria Tarasova-Markina,
CNN Money,
11 Feb. 2026
-
In Wyoming, the question of corner crossing dragged through the courts for years.—
Karlee Provenza,
Denver Post,
11 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Naturally, Liz decides to create her own rom-com HAE and rope Wes into helping her win Michael’s heart by pretending to fake date each other.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
13 Feb. 2026
-
How the jury weighs Guevara’s refusal to answer questions could factor heavily into how much the city will eventually pay out in the more than two dozen other lawsuits that are still pending against him — or whether the Law Department decides to roll the dice and take some of them to trial.—
Jason Meisner,
Chicago Tribune,
12 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
The city of Milwaukee estimates that up to 12,500 people use the thoroughfare every day.—
Everett Eaton,
jsonline.com,
13 Feb. 2026
-
The Tax Foundation estimates the average tax refund could be $300 to $800 higher compared with a typical year.—
Sharon Epperson,Stephanie Dhue,
CNBC,
13 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Its name derives from the Arabic jauhar, meaning jewel.—
Jeff Chu,
Travel + Leisure,
7 Feb. 2026
-
And Panahi derives an almost nausea-inducing tension by playing on our doubts throughout the film.—
Bilge Ebiri,
Vulture,
5 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Bill Maher thinks the bridge between him and Jimmy Kimmel might be burned for good.—
Lauren Huff,
Entertainment Weekly,
10 Feb. 2026
-
Celestin thinks the trend will continue as Black voters start to realize where their goals align with the Republican Party.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
10 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Ivy League for umpires This school prepared more umpires for professional baseball than all the other schools combined.—
Katie Woo,
New York Times,
12 Feb. 2026
-
The hardest part of being a catcher is adjusting to the different pitchers and different umpires.—
Rick Cantu,
Austin American Statesman,
6 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
The state's top jurists gather every November for an annual chili cook off.—
Nashville Tennessean,
Nashville Tennessean,
4 Dec. 2025
-
Amid the reporting, his chief judge banned jurists at his court from including chats during court livestreams .—
Darcie Moran,
Freep.com,
13 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Judges.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/judges. Accessed 16 Feb. 2026.
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