arbitration

[ahr-bi-trey-shuhn]

noun

1. the hearing and determining of a dispute or the settling of differences between parties by a person or persons chosen or agreed to by them.

   Rather than risk a long strike, the union and management agreed to arbitration.

2. International Law.,  the application of judicial methods to the settlement of international disputes.

arbitration

/ ˌɑːbɪˈtreɪʃən /

noun

1. law the hearing and determination of a dispute, esp an industrial dispute, by an impartial referee selected or agreed upon by the parties concerned

2. international law the procedure laid down for the settlement of international disputes

arbitration

1. The settling of disputes (especially labor disputes) between two parties by an impartial third party, whose decision the contending parties agree to accept. Arbitration is often used to resolve conflict diplomatically to prevent a more serious confrontation.

Other Word Forms

• arbitrational adjective
• arbitrationist noun
• proarbitration adjective
• proarbitrationist noun
• rearbitration noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of arbitration¹

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Latin arbitrātiōn- (stem of arbitrātiō ), equivalent to arbitrāt(us) ( arbitrate ) + -iōn- noun suffix; -ion

Synonym Study

See mediation.

Example Sentences

Patricia Glaser, an attorney representing Schmidt, called the lawsuit “yet another desperate and destructive effort to publish false and defamatory statements to escape accountability from an existing arbitration over a business dispute.”

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And unlike arbitration or mediation, the proceedings are typically public and the rulings are broadly appealable in the courts.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

That was also not a surprise, though Vesia still would’ve been under team control and eligible for arbitration if they hadn’t.

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Generally, commercial contracts have a clause that allow for disputes between parties to be resolved through arbitration or dispute resolution.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Anglo American has initiated an arbitration process and is seeking damages for wrongful termination.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• adjudication 
• compromise 
• mediation 

When To Use

What does arbitration mean?

Arbitration is a process in which two parties in a dispute use an independent, impartial third party to settle the dispute, often by making a decision that they both agree to.For a process to be considered arbitration, it must involve an impartial third party, which can be a single person or a team of people. This person or team is called an arbitrator. To act as this arbitrator is to arbitrate. Arbitrate can also mean to engage in arbitration, as in If we can’t come to an agreement, we may need to arbitrate.The term arbitration is especially used in the context of negotiations between businesses and labor unions. When the two sides can’t agree and negotiations are unproductive, they may seek to pursue arbitration by bringing in an arbitrator.An arbitration process in which the arbitrator’s decision must be accepted by both parties is sometimes called binding arbitration—meaning the arbitrator’s decision is final and legally binding.Example: After weeks of negotiations stalled and resulted in an impasse, the two sides agreed to enter arbitration.