as in referee
a person who impartially decides or resolves a dispute or controversy
the dean of student affairs is the proper arbiter when a student disputes a grade
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of arbiter
These days, Trump is giving himself a role as an arbiter of American taste.
—
Philip Elliott, TIME, 12 Feb. 2025
Why would President Trump, who is the ultimate arbiter of who gets to see classified information, take such risks?
—Shane Harris, The Atlantic, 12 Feb. 2025
Investors are the ultimate arbiters of Washington’s fiscal health.
—Andrew Duehren, New York Times, 22 Jan. 2025
Top officials have been reassigned, including the senior-most career official who often acted as a critical — and neutral — arbiter of ethical matters.
—Devlin Barrett, New York Times, 29 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for arbiter
Philip Elliott, TIME, 12 Feb. 2025
Why would President Trump, who is the ultimate arbiter of who gets to see classified information, take such risks?
—Shane Harris, The Atlantic, 12 Feb. 2025
Investors are the ultimate arbiters of Washington’s fiscal health.
—Andrew Duehren, New York Times, 22 Jan. 2025
Top officials have been reassigned, including the senior-most career official who often acted as a critical — and neutral — arbiter of ethical matters.
—Devlin Barrett, New York Times, 29 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for arbiter
Recent Examples of Synonyms for arbiter
Noun
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The game got quite physical as the referees let the players play.—
Chris Hays,
Orlando Sentinel,
9 Mar. 2025
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In the ninth round, Price had Jonas on the canvas, but it was ruled no knockdown by the referee.—
Sarah Shephard,
The Athletic,
8 Mar. 2025
Noun
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In June 2009, a judge at the High Court in London ruled that the work carried out by Corby Borough Council on the town’s steelworks between 1985 and 1997 had been negligent.—
Monica Mercuri,
Forbes,
3 Mar. 2025
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Albertsons pulled the plug on the deal in December after a judge temporarily blocked the union.—
Megan Cerullo,
CBS News,
3 Mar. 2025
Noun
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Major League Baseball umpires get the vast majority of ball-strike calls right.—
Ross Rosenfeld,
Newsweek,
26 Feb. 2025
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Previously tested in the minor leagues, with positive feedback and results, the ABS challenge system enables pitchers, batters and catchers — but not managers, crucially — to fact-check umpires in real time by requesting a specific pitch be reviewed by the automated zone.—
Aaron Gleeman,
The Athletic,
24 Feb. 2025
Noun
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Last year, a labor arbitrator ruled that state agencies can require their employees to come to the office even if their union contracts give them the right to work from home, according to CalMatters.—
Stephen Hobbs,
Sacramento Bee,
6 Mar. 2025
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Even though Brady may have had persuasive objections to Goodell serving in that capacity in Deflategate, those objections fell short legally because Goodell was contractually authorized to serve as the arbitrator.—
Michael McCann,
Sportico.com,
2 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Arbiter.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/arbiter. Accessed 13 Mar. 2025.
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