adjudicator

noun

Definition of adjudicatornext
1
as in referee
a person who impartially decides or resolves a dispute or controversy since they seemed to be in a hopeless stalemate, both labor and management agreed to use an independent adjudicator to decide the terms of the contract

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2
as in judge
a public official having authority to decide questions of law the appellate court refused to hear the case, thus allowing the judgment of previous adjudicators to stand

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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 adjudicator Some adjudicators are shifting into fraud and security roles, a former USCIS official told CBS News. — Data Journalist, CBS News, 8 Oct. 2026 Guinness World Records adjudicator Andy Glass verified the official ticket sales figures and confirmed the record to Variety. — Ethan Shanfeld, Variety, 17 July 2026 Styles was presented with his certificate by Guinness World Records adjudicator Will Munford on stage. — Lily Ford, HollywoodReporter, 6 July 2026 Immigration adjudicators may discourage visa holders like Maya from seeking employment after layoffs, thereby limiting their opportunities to stay and work in America. — Stuart Anderson, Forbes.com, 29 June 2026 Confirming the fort’s record breaking size required a visit from an official Guinness World Records adjudicator. — Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 4 June 2026 The competition included 23 players who supplied preliminary video performances; adjudicators selected 12 finalists. — Eric E. Harrison, Arkansas Online, 6 May 2026 The judge prohibited redetention without notice and a hearing before a neutral adjudicator. — Brittny Mejia, Los Angeles Times, 23 Apr. 2026 The instructors at the Atomic Ballroom, based in Costa Mesa, led the dance record effort, giving a step-by-step instruction to those who showed up, the Guinness World Record adjudicator counting the crowd. — Laylan Connelly, Oc Register, 19 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for adjudicator
  1. referee
  2. judge
  3. umpire
  4. court
Noun
  • Former Hollywood High principal Jim Tunney was a long-time NFL referee.
    — Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 13 Oct. 2026
  • Following a 33-32 victory over the New York Giants in Week 7 of the 2025 season while playing for the Denver Broncos, Greenlaw chased and verbally threatened referee Brad Allen as the officiating crew was leaving the field.
    — Armando Salguero OutKick, FOXNews.com, 12 Oct. 2026
Definition of referee
Noun
  • Recent court cases have used similar arguments, framing social media to judges and jurors as defective products causing children harm.
    — Allison Parshall, Scientific American, 20 Oct. 2026
  • In June 2025, a Franklin County judge declared EdChoice unconstitutional.
    — Bilin Lin, Fortune, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of judge
Noun
  • The Rays challenged the calls at both first and second and Mesa was ruled safe when a video review overturned the out decision by first base umpire Mark Ripperger.
    — Rob Maaddi, Chicago Tribune, 14 Oct. 2026
  • Among 25 umpires who worked the first two rounds, four had perfect rates and were confirmed on all challenges.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 12 Oct. 2026
Definition of umpire
Noun
  • Li fled to China, with Xuan and Zhang’s help, according to court filings.
    — James Queally, Los Angeles Times, 17 Oct. 2026
  • To assure further compliance, Section 5 of the act required those states to get approval from the Justice Department or a court before making any changes to their electoral systems.
    — Jeffrey Toobin, The New York Review of Books, 17 Oct. 2026
Definition of court

Browse Nearby Words

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Cite this Entry

“Adjudicator.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/adjudicator. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

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