judgment call
Americannoun
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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.
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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.
How much of your portfolio you want to allocate to momentum is going to be a judgment call.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 22, 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
How long to keep going is a judgment call, but both U.S. and Israeli officials speak about weeks rather than months.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 9, 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.
