judge

/dʒʌdʒ/
noun
  1. A person who presides over a court of law and makes decisions on legal cases.
    • The judge entered the courtroom and everyone stood up.
    • She has been a federal judge for over a decade.
    • The judge sentenced the defendant to three years in prison.
  2. A person who decides the winner or gives scores in a competition or contest.
    • He was a judge at the county fair's pie-baking contest.
    • The judges gave the gymnast a score of 9.5.
    • The talent show judges had a hard time choosing a winner.
  3. A person who has the knowledge and ability to give an opinion on the quality or value of something.
    • You don't need to be an expert to be a fair judge of art.
    • She is a good judge of character and can tell if someone is honest.
    • My uncle is a fine judge of wine and always picks a great bottle.
verb
  1. To form an opinion or conclusion about someone or something, often based on careful thought.
    • It's hard to judge how long the repair will take.
    • Don't judge a book by its cover.
    • She judged the distance to the tree and threw the ball perfectly.
  2. To decide the outcome of a legal case as a judge or in a similar official capacity.
    • The case will be judged by a panel of three magistrates.
    • The Supreme Court will judge the constitutionality of the law.
    • He was chosen to judge the dispute between the two companies.
  3. To give a score or decision in a competition.
    • The cooking competition is judged by a famous chef.
    • She will judge the dance-off at the school talent show.
    • Three experts were invited to judge the photography contest.