adjudicate

Everyday

1. (formal, law) To make an official decision about a disagreement or a legal case, as a judge does. tree →
2. To be the judge of a competition, deciding who wins, such as in music, debating or sport. tree →

In the lessons

Used in law to mean deciding a case, and at school for judging contests: a teacher adjudicates the spelling bee. It tells the reader that someone has the power to decide fairly. Phrases: adjudicate a dispute, adjudicate a competition, adjudicate on, adjudicate between.

Examples

• A judge will adjudicate the case next month. tree →
• Mrs Patel adjudicated the school debating contest. tree →
• Three experts adjudicated the piano competition. tree →
• The referee had to adjudicate between the two teams. tree →
• The court adjudicated in favour of the family. tree →
• Who will adjudicate at the singing contest? tree →
• It is hard to adjudicate when both sides seem right. tree →

Note

Formal; plain words: judge, decide. The person is an adjudicator; the noun is adjudication. Stress on "-ju-": a-JOO-di-cate. Not the same as "judge" in every sentence: you adjudicate a dispute but you judge a person's character.