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
During her first court appearance Saturday morning, a judge denied her bond. —Muri Assunção, New York Daily News, 19 Apr. 2025 Liberal and conservative judges have ruled the administration broke the law in the deportation of Abrego Garcia. —Nicholas Creel, MSNBC Newsweek, 19 Apr. 2025
Verb
The French approach the subject differently, at least to judge by the recent output of books translated into English and released to critical acclaim. —Rhian Sasseen, The Atlantic, 17 Apr. 2025 Why do some people ruminate after social events? Broadly speaking, people living with social anxiety possess a fear of being judged by others negatively and of being embarrassed in social situations, say Steele and Di Bartolomeo. —Seraphina Seow, Vogue, 17 Apr. 2025 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
  • The referees upgraded it from a minor due to the ‘degree of violence’ as per Rule 56.5, and upheld the original call after video review.
    — Shayna Goldman, New York Times, 26 Apr. 2025
  • James was hit in the face by Timberwolves forward Julius Randle, 30, in the fourth quarter of Game 2 in Los Angeles' first-round playoff series, and stayed on the floor for several minutes as referees discussed the call.
    — Natasha Dye, People.com, 24 Apr. 2025
Definition of referee
Noun
  • The grounds include a bocce court, outdoor dining spot, stone fire pit and mature landscaping.
    — David Caraccio, Sacbee.com, 19 Apr. 2025
  • This week’s White House Report Card could have been a bad one, considering court rulings against President Donald Trump, staffing blunders, and a lack of movement on his tariff war that is starting to scare his supporters.
    — Paul Bedard, The Washington Examiner, 19 Apr. 2025
Definition of court
Verb
  • After years of struggling with symptoms and no relief, despite doing everything her medical team recommended, Cecilia decided to find a new care team.
    — Korin Miller, Flow Space, 23 Apr. 2025
  • The courts have issued several orders that the Trump administration has ignored, and the courts must decide what to do about it.
    — Ross Rosenfeld, MSNBC Newsweek, 23 Apr. 2025
Definition of decide
Verb
  • The finance department estimated that the 1% salary increase would cost the state $120 million.
    — Stephen Hobbs, Sacbee.com, 14 Apr. 2025
  • Singh and her collaborators estimated that improvements to modifiable risk factors could prevent or slow at least 60 percent of strokes, 40 percent of dementia cases, and 35 percent of late-life depression cases.
    — Emily Kay Votruba, EverydayHealth.com, 14 Apr. 2025
Definition of estimate
Verb
  • How to help people process, understand and live with this to the best of their ability is really the key to having the best quality of life.
    — Michelle Riba, The Conversation, 24 Apr. 2025
  • Fox News Digital understands that As Ever, which is supposed to be an extension of Meghan’s past lifestyle blog The Tig, will not be designing clothing.
    — Stephanie Nolasco, FOXNews.com, 24 Apr. 2025
Definition of understand
Verb
  • The workshop acknowledges that people usually think of consent and boundaries in extreme terms.
    — William Jones, USA Today, 27 Apr. 2025
  • Some say this is a sign of Andor continuing to tackle tough issues the rest of Star Wars doesn’t, and others think that shouldn’t be a topic touched on in Star Wars at all, ever.
    — Paul Tassi, Forbes.com, 26 Apr. 2025
Definition of think
Noun
  • But when umpires came back with their response, the call on the field stood as a foul ball.
    — Scott Thompson, FOXNews.com, 20 Apr. 2025
  • Both Durbin, 25, and the umpire made the call and Milwaukee Brewers fans went wild.
    — Chuck Murr, Forbes.com, 19 Apr. 2025
Definition of umpire
Noun
  • The first three groups of 73 migrants transferred there in October, November and January spent only a few hours in Albania and were returned to Italy after Italian magistrates refused to validate their detention in the non-EU country.
    — Erion Xhabafti, Los Angeles Times, 13 Apr. 2025
  • That same day, the agency obtained a federal arrest warrant and criminal complaint from a U.S. magistrate judge and transferred her to the U.S. Marshals Service.
    — Ron Estes, MSNBC Newsweek, 28 Mar. 2025
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 29 Apr. 2025.

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