magistrate

American  

[maj-uh-streyt, -strit] / ˈmædʒ əˌstreɪt, -strɪt /

noun

• magistrates
  plural

1. a civil officer charged with the administration of the law.

2. a minor judicial officer, as a justice of the peace or the judge of a police court, having jurisdiction to try minor criminal cases and to conduct preliminary examinations of persons charged with serious crimes.

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magistrate British  

/ ˈmædʒɪˌstreɪt, -strɪt /

noun

1. a public officer concerned with the administration of law

2. another name for justice of the peace

3. the former name for district court judge

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• magistrateship
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• magistrates
  plural

Etymology

Origin of magistrate

1350–1400; Middle English magistrat < Latin magistrātus magistracy, magistrate, equivalent to magist ( e ) r master + -ātus -ate ³

Explanation

A magistrate is a person who lays down the law — a judge or other civil authority who conducts a court. Minor offenses are often brought before a magistrate. Magistrate goes back to the Latin magistratus, meaning "administrator." Lawmakers and judges might have a role in making and changing laws; magistrates focus on carrying out the laws on a case-by-case basis. A magistrate doesn't usually make final rulings on murders or high-level cases. He or she might hear cases about things like property damage or traffic violations.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

magistrate magistrates

District Judge Maame Ewusi-Mensah Frimpong ordered the government to pay $500 per day until they fully comply with a January 16 order from a magistrate judge regarding the imaging of the phones.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 4, 2026

However, magistrate Mandy Lamplough told the writer she had not done enough to prove that disqualification would cause her "exceptional hardship".

From BBC ● Aug. 3, 2026

Federal magistrate judge Rukhsanah Singh disqualified the firm in March for the conflict of interest.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026

The brothers, who are being held in federal detention, appeared before a magistrate in Miami on Monday, where a lawyer representing them said they would fight their extradition to the U.K.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 20, 2026

The magistrate mumbled something about having a son my age, pulled me out of my dark jail cell after just two days, and marched me down to the orphanage.

From "Blood on the River" by Elisa Carbone

Freymond, who had been accused by a number of former clients of siphoning away their assets, was questioned by French investigating magistrates in July 2025.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 25, 2026

Instead, she said magistrates in Oldham made the decision to name and shame her following a conviction for an anti-social behaviour order following an incident at the town's main bus station.

From BBC ● Jun. 12, 2026

The CSM said magistrates, who in the French system direct police in the conduct of a criminal investigation, lacked the financial and manpower resources to do their work correctly.

From BBC ● Jun. 9, 2026

Beccuau has assigned five investigating magistrates to comb through the documents released by the Justice Department and gather testimony from potential victims.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 17, 2026

His satchel is stuffed with sealed letters, scouting reports from surrounding outposts, receipts of sale, and several leather folios engraved with the crest of local magistrates, bound for the Capital King of Samarkand.

From "The Many Assassinations of Samir, the Seller of Dreams" by Daniel Nayeri