judgment call
Americannoun
-
Sports. an observational ruling by a referee or umpire that is necessarily subjective because of the disputable nature of the play in question, and one that may be appealed but not protested, as opposed to a matter of official rule interpretation.
Balks and close plays at first are of course judgment calls, and umpires are human.
-
any subjective or debatable determination; personal opinion or interpretation.
Etymology
Origin of judgment call
First recorded in 1840–50
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
They were making not only a judgment call about valuations — natural-resource stocks were in a bear market at the time — but a longer-term one as well.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 8, 2026
Tort cases can be difficult to win, in part because the government can claim a “discretionary function exception,” which shields the agency from liability when the situation involves a policy-driven judgment call.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 26, 2026
OTTAWA—Bank of Canada Gov. Tiff Macklem believes time is on his side about making a judgment call in response to higher energy prices.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 18, 2026
“I’m not going to make a judgment call on one video,” he said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 8, 2026
With flames consuming the compound at an alarming rate, the captain made a judgment call.
From "Scythe" by Neal Shusterman
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
