JUDGES Synonyms: 123 Similar and Opposite Words

judges 1 of 2

noun

Definition of judges

plural of judge

as in referees

a person who impartially decides or resolves a dispute or controversy their father always played the role of judge when there was a disagreement between the siblings

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Relevance

as in courts

a public official having authority to decide questions of law the judge gave the defendant a suspended sentence

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judges

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of judge

as in decides

to give an opinion about (something at issue or in dispute) the committee will judge the case solely on the evidence

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in estimates

to decide the size, amount, number, or distance of (something) without actual measurement considering the amount of dough we have, I judge we'll get about six dozen cookies out of it

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as in derives

to form an opinion or reach a conclusion through reasoning and information I judge that the girl has had a troubled relationship with her mother

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as in thinks

to have as an opinion I judge that he knew what kind of woman she was when he married her

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of judges

Noun

It’s been a long day of smoking, smiling, spieling judges, and taking pictures with fans. — Sam Stone, Bon Appetit Magazine, 1 July 2026 The judges were desperately hoping that everything would go well. — Raechal Shewfelt, Entertainment Weekly, 1 July 2026 That conclusion is increasingly shared by scholars, business leaders, and judges. — Joseph Andrew, Forbes.com, 2 July 2026 In at least four cases, judges have granted summary judgment in favor of Abbott — ruling for the company before the lawsuits reached trial. — David Hilzenrath, USA Today, 2 July 2026 The same judges have already handed down harsher sentences to eight people who were convicted at trial, including a former Marine reservist who received a 100-year prison term. — Jamie Stengle, Los Angeles Times, 1 July 2026 On June 18, a panel of three judges unanimously sided with the DOI, reversing a ruling the city won in February. — Danny Freeman, CNN Money, 28 June 2026 By the early twentieth century, lawyers and judges considered natural law to be irrelevant to the legal system, and the language all but disappeared from legal arguments and decisions. — Jeannie Suk Gersen, New Yorker, 2 July 2026 Mohamed’s asylum application was denied, and immigration judges ordered him to leave in 2001 and later rejected his appeal in 2002. — Julia Coin updated July 2, Charlotte Observer, 2 July 2026

Verb

The truck just leans into the work and gets on with life like a ranch foreman who drinks coffee black and silently judges your hitch setup. — New Atlas, 27 May 2026 In episode three, Mary judges Eleanor pretty harshly for her choices with Robert. — Brande Victorian, HollywoodReporter, 1 Apr. 2026 Portnoy travels to cities around the world and judges their pizza scene by taking a single bite (or more) of a cheese pizza and giving it a review. — Irene Wright, USA Today, 26 May 2026 The program, which launched last month, gave half a dozen Los Angeles County civil court judges access to AI software called Learned Hand. — James Queally, Los Angeles Times, 18 Mar. 2026 This time, judges Katy Perry, Luke Bryan, and Lionel Richie convinced him to give the show another shot, igniting his journey all the way to the finale. — James Mercadante, Entertainment Weekly, 11 June 2026 But on the third day of qualifying for Wimbledon 2026, a power outage downed the electronic line-calling system that judges whether shots are in or out, causing matches across 18 courts to be suspended for over an hour. — Caoimhe O'Neill, New York Times, 25 June 2026 American Idol judges Lionel Richie, Carrie Underwood and Luke Bryan reacted to Seacrest’s on-air announcement with a mix of shock and confusion. — Samantha Stutsman, PEOPLE, 6 Apr. 2026 The order created an AI Litigation Task Force inside the DOJ, gave it until January 10 to stand up, and pointed it at any state rule the administration judges too heavy a burden on the technology. — Dara-Abasi Ita, Forbes.com, 20 June 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for judges

Noun

After the referees blew the whistle dead in the fourth quarter, Clark and Bonner got entangled in an exchange of words.

— Skyler Caruso, PEOPLE, 29 June 2026
Indiana Fever fan-favorite Sophie Cunningham made a blunt statement about Caitlin Clark's treatment in the WNBA by opposing players and referees on Saturday.

— Jackson Thompson, FOXNews.com, 27 June 2026

Definition of referees

Noun

Tennis and pickleball courts, a spa and wellness center where therapies incorporate local botanicals and traditional Hawaiian techniques, four pools (including an adults-only option), and direct beach access.

— Beth Luberecki, USA Today, 7 July 2026
Critics see it as another attempt to breathe life into claims that courts, investigators and election officials have repeatedly rejected — and another corrosive attempt to undermine faith in the state’s vote.

— Adam Beam, AJC.com, 6 July 2026

Definition of courts

Verb

The Legislative Analyst’s Office estimates that enforcing the measure would cost the government up to the low tens of millions annually, and that much of the cost would be paid for through penalties and fees charged to affected clinics.

— Iris Kwok, Los Angeles Times, 6 July 2026
Ritolia estimates Russian gasoline production is currently running at around 20% below domestic demand because of the Ukrainian strikes, with refinery runs (the amount of crude oil refineries are processing) at multi-year lows.

— Clare Sebastian, CNN Money, 6 July 2026

Definition of estimates

Verb

His celebrated Lectures on Law repeatedly returned to natural rights, popular sovereignty, and the proposition that law derives its authority not merely from power but from justice.

— Joseph Andrew, Forbes.com, 4 July 2026
Turning a game of two halves into one of four quarters, pausing a sport that derives much of its power and mystique from a clock that never stops, has been universally unpopular.

— Scott Roxborough, HollywoodReporter, 29 June 2026

Definition of derives

Verb

Celebrity nail artist Queenie Nguyen thinks so—and there's no more perfect manicure than Capri Blue to match the moment.

— Audrey Noble, Vogue, 2 July 2026
Putin thinks that time is on his side, that Western support will peter out and that Ukraine’s resistance will eventually collapse under pressure from strategic bombing, analysts say.

— Hanna Arhirova, Los Angeles Times, 2 July 2026

Definition of thinks

Noun

When Ian Happ made the final out of the frame, the umpires convened and called a delay, a rare stoppage because of the fog-shrouded Wrigley Field.

— Andy Martinez, Chicago Tribune, 5 July 2026
Contreras has always been an overheating boiler of a ballplayer, with a history of arguing with umpires, throwing bats and helmets, and willing to charge the mound over any slight, real or imagined.

— Steve Buckley, New York Times, 2 July 2026

Definition of umpires

Noun

The commission of inquiry, which called on international bodies to hold Israeli officials to account, is composed of three senior international jurists and chaired by the former Indian judge Srinivasan Muralidhar.

— Gerry Shih, Washington Post, 24 June 2026
Eskin favors changing the system for choosing judges to one in which jurists are appointed to a single 15-year term, eliminating the need for elections while also ensuring that jurists do eventually leave the bench to make way for others.

— Sharon Bernstein, Sacbee.com, 14 June 2026

Definition of jurists

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Style

“Judges.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/judges. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

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Synonyms of judges

noun

verb

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