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.

---

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

---

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

The magistrate called the incident "a single act of stupidity or frustration" when sparing him a criminal record.

From BBC ● Aug. 19, 2026

She dreams of becoming a district magistrate, a powerful field bureaucrat.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 15, 2026

At Westminster Magistrates' Court, chief magistrate Paul Goldspring postponed proceedings over concerns about the defendant's mental health.

From BBC ● Jul. 29, 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 magistrate wailed as Mama pulled more plant-magic threads and more branches wound around other parts of him.

From Anya and the Dragon by Sofiya Pasternack

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

He and the government find themselves caught between an increasingly incensed public and a justice system whose magistrates and prosecutors refuse to be made scapegoats.

From BBC ● Jun. 9, 2026

All seven men spoke only to confirm their names when they appeared before magistrates in Norwich earlier.

From BBC ● May 22, 2026

For these princes rule either by themselves or by means of public magistrates.

From "The Prince" by Niccolò Machiavelli