judge

[ juhj ]

/ dʒʌdʒ /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR judge ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a public officer authorized to hear and decide cases in a court of law; a magistrate charged with the administration of justice.

a person appointed to decide in any competition, contest, or matter at issue; authorized arbiter: the judges of a beauty contest.

a person qualified to pass a critical judgment: a good judge of horses.

an administrative head of Israel in the period between the death of Joshua and the accession to the throne by Saul.

(especially in rural areas) a county official with supervisory duties, often employed part-time or on an honorary basis.

verb (used with object), judged, judg·ing.

to pass legal judgment on; pass sentence on (a person): The court judged him guilty.

to hear evidence or legal arguments in (a case) in order to pass judgment; adjudicate; try: The Supreme Court is judging that case.

to form a judgment or opinion of; decide upon critically: You can't judge a book by its cover.

to decide or settle authoritatively; adjudge: The censor judged the book obscene and forbade its sale.

to infer, think, or hold as an opinion; conclude about or assess: He judged her to be correct.

to make a careful guess about; estimate: We judged the distance to be about four miles.

(of the ancient Hebrew judges) to govern.

verb (used without object), judged, judg·ing.

to act as a judge; pass judgment: No one would judge between us.

to form an opinion or estimate: I have heard the evidence and will judge accordingly.

to make a mental judgment.

Nearby words

judeo-, judeo-christian, judeo-spanish, judezmo, judg., judge, judge a book by its cover, one can't, judge advocate, judge advocate general, judge lynch, judge not, that ye be not judged

Origin of judge

1175–1225; (v.) Middle English jugen < Anglo-French juger, Old French jugier < Latin jūdicāre to judge, equivalent to jūdic- (stem of jūdex) a judge + -āre infinitive suffix; (noun) Middle English juge < Old French < Latin jūdicem, accusative of jūdex

SYNONYMS FOR judge

1 justice.

2 arbitrator. Judge, referee, umpire refer to one who is entrusted with decisions affecting others. Judge, in its legal and other uses, implies particularly that one has qualifications and authority for giving decisions in matters at issue: a judge appointed to the Supreme Court; a judge in the pie competition. A referee usually examines and reports on the merits of a case as an aid to a court. An umpire gives the final ruling when arbitrators of a case disagree.

3 connoisseur, critic.

10 determine, consider, regard.

13 adjudge, adjudicate.

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Related forms

judge·a·ble, adjectivejudg·er, nounjudge·less, adjectivejudge·like, adjective

judge·ship, nounjudg·ing·ly, adverbre·judge, verb, re·judged, re·judg·ing.sub·judge, nounsub·judge·ship, nounun·der·judge, verb (used with object), un·der·judged, un·der·judg·ing.un·der·judge, nounun·judge·a·ble, adjectiveun·judged, adjectiveun·judge·like, adjectiveun·judg·ing, adjectivewell-judged, adjective

Can be confused

judge justice (see synonym study at the current entry)

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for well-judged

Then he struck it a well-judged blow beneath the ear, and flung it to Sipsu.
The God of His Fathers|Jack London
To the latter part of this proposal the First Consul offered a well-judged refusal.
The Life of Napoleon I (Volumes, 1 and 2)|John Holland Rose
This well-judged and decisive measure at once checked the progress of Corbitant in exciting disaffection.
King Philip|John S. C. (John Stevens Cabot) Abbott
The event showed this remonstrance to be rather well-intended than well-judged.
Memoirs of the Court of Queen Elizabeth|Lucy Aikin

Like the well-judged flight of the falcon, in a flash crushing its quarry, so should the stroke be timed.
The Book of War: The Military Classic of the Far East|Sunzi (active 6th century B.c.) and Wutzu

British Dictionary definitions for well-judged (1 of 2)

well-judged

adjective (well judged when postpositive)

showing careful consideration or skill

British Dictionary definitions for well-judged (2 of 2)

judge

/ (dʒʌdʒ) /

noun

a public official with authority to hear cases in a court of law and pronounce judgment upon themCompare magistrate (def. 1), justice (def. 5), justice (def. 6) Related adjective: judicial

a person who is appointed to determine the result of contests or competitions

a person qualified to comment criticallya good judge of antiques

a leader of the peoples of Israel from Joshua's death to the accession of Saul

verb

to hear and decide upon (a case at law)

(tr) to pass judgment on; sentence

(when tr, may take a clause as object or an infinitive) to decide or deem (something) after inquiry or deliberation

to determine the result of (a contest or competition)

to appraise (something) critically

(tr; takes a clause as object) to believe (something) to be the case; suspect

Derived Forms

judgeable, adjectivejudgeless, adjectivejudgelike, adjectivejudger, noun

judgingly, adverb

Word Origin for judge

C14: from Old French jugier, from Latin jūdicāre to pass judgment, from jūdex a judge

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Idioms and Phrases with well-judged

judge

In addition to the idiom beginning with judge

judge a book by its cover, one can't

also see:

sober as a judge

Also seejudgment.

judge

noun

verb (used with object), judged, judg·ing.

verb (used without object), judged, judg·ing.

RELATED CONTENT

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Origin of judge

SYNONYMS FOR judge

Related forms

Can be confused

Examples from the Web for well-judged

British Dictionary definitions for well-judged (1 of 2)

well-judged

adjective (well judged when postpositive)

British Dictionary definitions for well-judged (2 of 2)

judge

noun

verb

Derived Forms

Word Origin for judge

Idioms and Phrases with well-judged

judge