adjudicate

verb

ad·​ju·​di·​cate ə-ˈjü-di-ˌkāt How to pronounce adjudicate (audio)
adjudicated; adjudicating
Synonyms of adjudicatenext

transitive verb

: to make an official decision about who is right in (a dispute) : to settle judicially
The school board will adjudicate claims made against teachers.

intransitive verb

: to act as judge
The court can adjudicate on this dispute.
adjudicative
ə-ˈjü-di-ˌkā-tiv How to pronounce adjudicate (audio)
-kə-
adjective
adjudicator
ə-ˈjü-di-ˌkā-tər How to pronounce adjudicate (audio)
noun
adjudicatory
ə-ˈjü-di-kə-ˌtȯr-ē How to pronounce adjudicate (audio)
adjective

Did you know?

Adjudicate, which is usually used to mean "to make an official decision about who is right in a dispute," is one of several terms that give testimony to the influence of jus, the Latin word for "law," on our legal language. Others include judgment, judicial, prejudice, jury, justice, injury, and perjury. What's the verdict? Latin "law" words frequently preside in English-speaking courtrooms.

Synonyms

See All Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus

Examples of adjudicate in a Sentence

The board will adjudicate claims made against teachers. The case was adjudicated in the state courts. The board will adjudicate when claims are made against teachers.
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
The couple had been granted temporary protection from deportation while their claims for asylum were being adjudicated. — Andrea Castillo, Los Angeles Times, 12 Mar. 2025 The cuts, which affected 82 of the federal office’s employees, also risk delaying critical new rules designed to speed the process of adjudicating disputes over surprise bills between health plans and medical providers. — Noam N. Levey, CNN, 7 Mar. 2025 California has not carried out an execution since 2006 but the death penalty remains on the books, and prosecutors continue to seek capital punishment in expensive trials that add millions to the cost of adjudicating murder cases. — Sharon Bernstein, Sacramento Bee, 24 Feb. 2025 The document also reportedly says that all disputes would be resolved by courts in New York, as if a New York court could adjudicate something so open-ended. — Anne Applebaum, The Atlantic, 20 Feb. 2025 See All Example Sentences for adjudicate

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Latin adjūdicātus, past participle of adjūdicāre "to adjudge"

First Known Use

circa 1695, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Time Traveler
The first known use of adjudicate was circa 1695

Rhymes for adjudicate

See All Rhymes for adjudicate

Browse Nearby Words

adjudicate
See all Nearby Words

Podcast

Cite this Entry

“Adjudicate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/adjudicate. Accessed 23 Mar. 2025.

Copy Citation

Share

Kids Definition

adjudicate

verb
ad·​ju·​di·​cate ə-ˈjüd-i-ˌkāt How to pronounce adjudicate (audio)
adjudicated; adjudicating
: to decide, award, or sentence judicially
adjudicate a claim
adjudication
-ˌjüd-i-ˈkā-shən
noun

Legal Definition

adjudicate

verb
ad·​ju·​di·​cate ə-ˈjü-di-ˌkāt How to pronounce adjudicate (audio)
adjudicated; adjudicating

transitive verb

1
: to settle either finally or temporarily (the rights and duties of the parties to a judicial or quasi-judicial proceeding) on the merits of the issues raised
2
: to pass judgment on as a judge : settle judicially
3
: to pronounce judicially to be
was adjudicated a bankrupt
was adjudicated the child's father
4
: to convey by judicial sale

intransitive verb

: to come to a judicial decision : act as judge
the court adjudicated upon the case
adjudication
ə-ˌjü-di-ˈkā-shən How to pronounce adjudicate (audio)
noun
adjudicative
ə-ˈjü-di-ˌkā-tiv, -kə-
noun
adjudicator
-ˌkā-tər How to pronounce adjudicate (audio)
noun
Etymology

Latin adjudicare to award in judgment, from ad to, for + judicare to judge see judge

More from Merriam-Webster on adjudicate

Nglish: Translation of adjudicate for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

The Difference Between 'i.e.' and 'e.g.'

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

More Commonly Misspelled Words
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

What do SCOTUS, POTUS, and FLOTUS mean?

Flower Etymologies For Your Spring Garden

More Words with Remarkable Origins

Terroir, Oenophile, & Magnum: Ten Words About Wine

8 Words for Lesser-Known Musical Instruments
See More

Popular Features

See More

The Difference Between 'i.e.' and 'e.g.'

What do SCOTUS, POTUS, and FLOTUS mean?

Flower Etymologies For Your Spring Garden
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Word Game Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
dog-in-disguise
Rhyme Disguise Quiz Pair up words that look different but sound alike.
See All