umpire 1 of 2

noun

ˈəm-ˌpī(-ə)r How to pronounce umpire (audio)
Definition of umpirenext
as in referee
a person who impartially decides or resolves a dispute or controversy usually acts as umpire in the all-too-frequent squabbles between the two other roommates

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

umpire

2 of 2

verb

as in to decide
to give an opinion about (something at issue or in dispute) in our family disputes regarding the use of our home entertainment system are umpired by Dad

Synonyms & Similar Words

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 umpire
Noun
Jake Mangum then hit a grounder to third baseman Kyle Karros, and the game ended when umpires determined Karros was interfered with by Billy Cook. — ABC News, 20 June 2026 First base umpire Nic Lentz ejected him in the second inning after Lentz ruled Contreras failed to check his swing on a Miles Mikolas pitch that ended up being a strikeout. — CBS News, 30 June 2026
Verb
After replay review, the umpiring crew ruled the play malicious contact. — Jack Vita, Daily News, 25 May 2026 The game was delayed several minutes as the umpiring crew needed someone new behind the plate — the remainder of the game went with three umps. — Ryan Morik, FOXNews.com, 1 Apr. 2026 See All Example Sentences for umpire
Recent Examples of Synonyms for umpire
  1. referee
  2. decide
  3. judge
  4. settle
  5. determine
  6. arbitrate
  7. adjudicate
  8. adjudge
Noun
  • As Cape Verde prepared its defense, the referee blew the whistle, meaning Messi could proceed.
    — Tim Rohan, NBC news, 4 July 2026
  • Andy Davies, a referee who worked in the Premier League and Championship and was a Select Group referee for over 12 seasons, published a short analysis of the VAR process on this play for ESPN, saying that the review should never have taken place.
    — Ian Miller OutKick, FOXNews.com, 3 July 2026
Definition of referee
Verb
  • Both Swift and Kelce decided to forgo bridesmaids and groomsmen, per a statement shared with People.
    — Hannah Malach, InStyle, 4 July 2026
  • Later, Swift revealed that she was charmed by Kelce’s willingness to court her so publicly and decided to give him a chance.
    — Rebecca Cohen, NBC news, 4 July 2026
Definition of decide
Noun
  • Over three days in the downtown courtroom in June, a Times reporter observed how many immigrants were funneled into the courtroom in groups, and the judge rarely addressed them directly, typically calling up around five cases at a time.
    — Itzel Luna, Los Angeles Times, 1 July 2026
  • Prior to the trial beginning, the judge agreed that questions about Brown’s felony conviction for his 2009 assault on then-girlfriend Rihanna would be barred from testimony.
    — Chris Willman, Variety, 1 July 2026
Definition of judge
Verb
  • Gendron said his ancestors were among the first outsiders to settle the island in the 1700s, when three brothers, fur traders all, left Canada and followed the Mississippi south.
    — Andrew Carter, Chicago Tribune, 5 July 2026
  • The space is cozy and laid back, with an atmosphere that encourages guests to settle in for a drink or two.
    — Blair Crosby, AJC.com, 5 July 2026
Definition of settle
Verb
  • Readiness is an ongoing practice, not a declaration, determined by daily interactions and the safety to be candid.
    — Tracy Lawrence, Forbes.com, 2 July 2026
  • Investigators later determined the teen had distant family members in Colorado.
    — Tom Ignudo, CBS News, 2 July 2026
Definition of determine
Verb
  • In response to the lawsuit, the NFL and teams sought to compel arbitration based on the coaches' employment contracts and a provision of the NFL Constitution that gives the NFL commissioner, Goodell, authority to arbitrate disputes between coaches and member clubs.
    — Melissa Quinn, CBS News, 26 May 2026
  • Their contracts require them to confidentially arbitrate with the commissioner (or his designee) as the arbitrator.
    — Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 19 May 2026
Definition of arbitrate
Verb
  • After Coroner Scott Sayers denied the request, Sherwood successfully appealed to the Office of Open Records, or OOR, a state agency responsible for adjudicating Right-To-Know Law disputes.
    — Jonah Walters, The Conversation, 24 June 2026
  • Rather than adjudicating guilt, the filmmakers opted to leave the question of truth open to viewers.
    — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 21 June 2026
Definition of adjudicate
Verb
  • Tampa Bay Lightning forward Nikita Kucherov won the Hart Trophy as the NHL player adjudged to be the most valuable to his team, marking the second such honor of his career after also winning the award in 2019.
    — Mercury News, Mercury News, 12 June 2026
  • The most controversial decision in this regard came in the 3-0 win against Liverpool in November when Andy Robertson was adjudged to be offside and affecting goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma when Virgil van Dijk 'scored' from a corner.
    — Anantaajith Raghuraman, New York Times, 14 May 2026
Definition of adjudge

Browse Nearby Words

umiaks
umpire
umpired
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

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

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on umpire

Nglish: Translation of umpire for Spanish Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about umpire

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

One-Word Oxymorons: Bittersweet, Spendthrift, and More

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
hangman letters and game
Hangman Lightning Round Figure out which word fits in the blanks.
See All