- 1a person in a court who has the authority to decide how criminals should be punished or to make legal decisions a Supreme Court judge a federal judge The case comes before Judge Cooper next week. The judge sentenced him to five years in prison. compare Justice of the Peace, magistrate
Definitions on the go
Look up any word in the dictionary offline, anytime, anywhere with the Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary app.
in competition - 2a person who decides who has won a competition the panel of judges at the flower show The judges' decision is final.
- 3[usually singular] a person who has the necessary knowledge or skills to give their opinion about the value or quality of someone or something She's a good judge of character. The last singer was the best—not that I'm any judge (= I do not know much about the subject). “I'm not sure that's a good way to do it.” “Let me be the judge of that.”
in court
Check pronunciation: judge