judgment call

noun

1. 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.

2. any subjective or debatable determination; personal opinion or interpretation.

Word History and Origins

Origin of judgment call¹

First recorded in 1840–50

Example Sentences

Szabo, while addressing the council, called the decision on the expansion “the ultimate judgment call that only you can make.”

From Los Angeles Times

Sheard clearly knows how to investigate facts and make a judgment call.

From Los Angeles Times

No contact is allowed when blocking, but deciding who made the contact and who receives the penalty will be the judgment call that could have parents yelling in the bleachers if they don’t understand the correct interpretation.

From Los Angeles Times

“How do you put a value on those things? It’s a judgment call,” said Morales.

From Los Angeles Times

“Senate parliamentarians are put in an impossible position because ‘merely incidental’ is inherently a judgment call.”

From Salon

Related Words

• attitude 
• concept 
• consideration 
• feeling 
• impression 
• judgment 
• mind 
• notion 
• opinion 
• point of view 
• sentiment 
• thought