judge

n.

1. A legal official

   justice, magistrate, chancellor, justice of the peace (JP), chief justice, associate justice, circuit judge, county judge, judge of the district court, appeals judge, surrogate, jurist, master of assize, marshal of assize, chancery judge, tribune, bencher, hanging judge*; see also judiciary.

2. A moderator

   referee, umpire, arbitrator, arbiter, adjudicator, mediator, ombudsman, interpreter, inspector, negotiator, intercessor, final authority, go-between, assessor, ump*.

3. A connoisseur

   expert, authority, professional; see connoisseur, critic 2, specialist.

judge is applied to one who, by the authority vested in him or her by expertness of knowledge, is qualified to settle a controversy or decide on the relative merit of things a judge of a beauty contest; arbiter emphasizes the authoritativeness of decision of one whose judgment in a particular matter is considered indisputable an arbiter of the social graces; referee and umpire both apply to a person to whom anything is referred for decision or settlement a referee in bankruptcy and, in sports, to officials charged with the regulation of a contest, ruling on the plays in a game, etc. a referee in boxing, basketball, etc., an umpire in baseball, cricket, etc.

judge

v.

1. To pass judgment

   adjudge, adjudicate, try, hear, sit in judgment, doom, sentence, act on, find, rule, give a hearing to, hold the scales, arbitrate, referee.

2. To form an opinion

   conclude, infer, suppose, assess; see decide, estimate 1, 2, resolve 2. See syn. study at infer.