judge

plural judges · alternative obsolete judg · alternative obsolete iudge

1. A public official whose duty it is to administer the law, especially by presiding over trials and rendering judgments; a justice.

   The parts of a judge in hearing are four: to direct the evidence; to moderate length, repetition, or impertinency of speech; to recapitulate, select, and collate the material points of that which hath been said; and to give the rule or sentence.

   1625, Francis [Bacon], “Of Judicature”, in The Essayes […], 3rd edition, London: […] Iohn Haviland for Hanna Barret, →OCLC

   Synonyms: magistrate, justice, justiciar, justiciary, chief justice, Chief Justiciar, Capital Justiciary, Chief Justiciary

2. A person who decides the fate of someone or something that has been called into question.
3. A person officiating at a sports event, a contest, or similar; referee.

   At a boxing match, the decision of the judges is final.

4. A person who evaluates something or forms an opinion.

   She is a good judge of wine.

   1 more example

   They say he is a poor judge of character considering all the unreliable friends he has made.

   Synonyms: deemer, deemster

5. historicalbiblicalA shophet, a temporary leader appointed in times of crisis in ancient Israel.

present singular third person judges · participle present judging · participle past judged · past judged · alternative obsolete judg · alternative obsolete iudge

1. transitiveTo sit in judgment on; to pass sentence on (a person or matter).

   A higher power will judge you after you are dead.

   Synonyms: rule on, try, adjudge, adjudicate, arbitrate, deem, doom, hear

2. intransitiveTo sit in judgment, to act as judge.

   Justices in this country judge without appeal.

   Synonyms: adjudicate, make a decision, choose up, decide, determine, resolve, find, posken

3. transitiveTo judicially rule or determine.
4. obsoletetransitiveTo sentence to punishment, to judicially condemn.

   He was judged to die for his crimes.

   Synonyms: deem, sentence, adjudge, convict, condemn, damn, deem, doom

5. obsoletetransitiveTo award judicially; to adjudge.
6. transitiveTo form an opinion on; to appraise.

   I judge a man’s character by the cut of his suit.

   1 more example

   Let us be judged for what we attempted rather than what we achieved.

   c. 1921, Michael Collins, after the Anglo-Irish Treaty

   Synonyms: evaluate, rate, appraise, apprise, apprize, assess, esteem, evaluate

7. obsoletetransitiveTo constitute a fitting appraisal or criterion of; to provide a basis for forming an opinion on.

   Noble and milde this Perſean ſeemes to be, If outward habit Iudge the inward man.

   c. 1587–1588 (date written), [Christopher Marlowe], Tamburlaine the Great. […] The First Part […], 2nd edition, part 1, London: […] [R. Robinson for] Richard Iones, […], published 1592, →OCLC; reprinted as Tamburlaine the Great (A Scolar Press Facsimile), Menston, Yorkshire; London: Scolar Press, 1973, →ISBN, Act I, scene ii

8. intransitiveTo arbitrate; to pass opinion on something, especially to settle a dispute etc.

   We cannot both be right: you must judge between us.

9. transitiveTo have as an opinion; to consider, suppose.

   I judge it safe to leave the house once again.

   2 more examples

   I've been judged to have the best qualifications.

   A merit good is a commodity or service that it is judged an individual or society should have.

   Synonyms: hold, regard as, account, appraise, count, esteem, see, censure

10. ambitransitiveTo form an opinion; to infer.

    I judge from the sky that it might rain later.

    3 more examples

    However I have the mirror positioned, I can't judge where the back of the car is.

    We can't always judge people's ages just by their voices.

    THE sun was up so high when I waked that I judged it was after eight o'clock.

    1884 December 10, Mark Twain [pseudonym; Samuel Langhorne Clemens], The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn: (Tom Sawyer’s Comrade) […], London: Chatto & Windus, […], →OCLC

11. ambitransitiveTo criticize or label another person or thing; to be judgmental toward.

    There's something wrong with the world today; the light bulb's getting dim. There's meltdown in the sky. If you can judge a wise man by the color of his skin, Mister, you're a better man than I

    1993, Aerosmith, Livin' on the Edge

12. ambitransitiveTo govern as biblical judge or shophet (over some jurisdiction).

    And after him aroſe Iair a Gileadite, and iudged Iſrael twentie and two yeeres.

    1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Judges 10:3

    1 more example

    And after him, Elon, a Zebulonite iudged Israel, and he iudged Israel ten yeeres.

    1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Judges 12:11

plural Judges

1. countableuncountableA surname originating as an occupation.
2. countableuncountableChristianityepithet of God or Jesus in his role as supreme arbiter

   Wak’d by the trumpet’s sound, I from my grave must rise, And see the Judge with glory crown’d, And see the flaming skies.

   1763, Charles Wesley, “And am I Born to Die?” (Hymn 59) in Hymns for Children, and Others of Riper Years

3. countableuncountableA male given name of rare usage
4. A placename
   1. countableuncountableAn unincorporated community in Olmsted County, Minnesota, United States, named after Edward Judge.
   2. countableuncountableAn unincorporated community in Osage County, Missouri, United States, named for a local judge who owned the town site.

plural Judges

1. The title of a judge.

   “I am saddened and disappointed in the way Judge Ehrlich behaved on the video. Her behavior cannot be condoned,” Tuter said.

   2018 April 23, Chuck Johnston, “Judge not allowed back to court after berating woman who died”, in CNN, archived from the original on 12 Nov 2025

   1 more example

   Deobra Redden, 31, was caught on camera in January jumping over a desk and lunging at Judge Mary Kay Holthus, who was sentencing him in another case.

   2024 December 11, “The courtroom attack that led to 26 years in prison”, in BBC, archived from the original on 30 Jul 2025