as in referee
a person who impartially decides or resolves a dispute or controversy
usually acts as umpire in the all-too-frequent squabbles between the two other roommates
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
as in to decide
to give an opinion about (something at issue or in dispute)
in our family disputes regarding the use of our home entertainment system are umpired by Dad
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 umpire
Kevin Sherrington
mar. 9, Dallas Morning News, 9 Mar. 2026
Menzel pulled into second, as the left-fielder briefly raised his arms, but resumed running as the umpires indicated the ball was still live.
—Dom Amore, Hartford Courant, 8 Mar. 2026
Jeremy Collins, The Atlantic, 12 Dec. 2025
News Of The Week Jen Pawol became the first woman to umpire a regular-season MLB game, marking a historic milestone for baseball.
—Erin Spencer Sairam, Forbes.com, 14 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for umpire
Noun
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
Menzel pulled into second, as the left-fielder briefly raised his arms, but resumed running as the umpires indicated the ball was still live.
—Dom Amore, Hartford Courant, 8 Mar. 2026
Verb
Ed Montague umpired for 34 seasons and recalls Bonds’s ability more clearly than most.
—Jeremy Collins, The Atlantic, 12 Dec. 2025
News Of The Week Jen Pawol became the first woman to umpire a regular-season MLB game, marking a historic milestone for baseball.
—Erin Spencer Sairam, Forbes.com, 14 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for umpire
Recent Examples of Synonyms for umpire
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
Verb
-
Jenkins is on a road trip back to Yuba City and decided to grab some food.—
Carmela Karcher,
CBS News,
21 Mar. 2026
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The club’s decision makers will meet this weekend to decide on the club’s final few roster spots, but there are still a few days left for players to make a last impression.—
Mitch Bannon,
New York Times,
21 Mar. 2026
Noun
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But the judge said that, given Lau's age, her lack of a criminal record, and her remorse, the sentence was appropriate.—
Da Lin,
CBS News,
21 Mar. 2026
-
Another federal judge in Boston on Monday temporarily blocked several of Kennedy's vaccine policy changes.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
21 Mar. 2026
Verb
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After the overnight speculative panic from a fortnight ago that shot oil prices across the board to nearly $120 per barrel in the early premarket trading hours of March 9, oil prices quickly settled back down to $100.—
Tiana Lowe Doescher,
The Washington Examiner,
20 Mar. 2026
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After admittedly chasing stats, which led to some early-season struggles, Simmons settled into the defensive end possession and blossomed into one of the SEC’s most prolific sack masters.—
Cedric Golden,
Austin American Statesman,
20 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The researchers suggest that more high-resolution observations will be needed to determine whether this phenomenon is common.—
Rupendra Brahambhatt,
Interesting Engineering,
15 Mar. 2026
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Farr’s next of kin was notified, and the cause and manner of her death will be determined by a forensic pathologist following an autopsy and toxicology testing.—
Nollyanne Delacruz,
Mercury News,
15 Mar. 2026
Verb
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In 2022, however, SeaWorld allegedly refused to pay Sesame Workshop millions of dollars in royalties for the Sesame Place park in Langhorne, Pennsylvania, forcing Sesame Workshop to arbitrate the claim, according to the lawsuit.—
Isabel Yip,
NBC news,
13 Mar. 2026
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Any such controversy or claim shall be arbitrated on an individual basis and shall not be consolidated in any arbitration with any claim or controversy of any other party.—
CBS News Philadelphia Staff,
CBS News,
26 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Guest Janine Kovac, in addition to being an author herself, adjudicates submissions for various residencies and is co-director of Litquake’s Lit Crawl.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
16 Mar. 2026
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After the jury and Starks were ordered to leave the courtroom, Namie argued Starks wasn’t telling the truth, since he had been adjudicated (convicted) as a juvenile a few years earlier for armed robbery.—
Meredith Colias-Pete,
Chicago Tribune,
14 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The crossbar, the tip of Dan Ndoye’s heel being adjudged to be offside, and a familiar brand of wasteful finishing all combined, in frustrating fashion, to ensure one more blank was added to that tally in this 0-0 draw with Fulham.—
Paul Taylor,
New York Times,
16 Mar. 2026
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Thiago got his double from the spot with nine minutes remaining after Crysencio Summerville was adjudged to have pushed Michael Kayode.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
9 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Umpire.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/umpire. Accessed 22 Mar. 2026.
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