adjudicate
verb
ad·ju·di·cate ə-ˈjü-di-ˌkāt 
adjudicated; adjudicating
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
adjective -kə-
adjudicator
ə-ˈjü-di-ˌkā-tər
noun adjudicatory
ə-ˈjü-di-kə-ˌtȯr-ē
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
- adjudge
- arbitrate
- decide
- determine
- judge
- referee
- rule (on)
- settle
- umpire
See all Synonyms & Antonyms 
Example Sentences
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 Instead, both sides presented arguments for Romanick to consider — leaving the judge without any facts to adjudicate. 
Max Thornberry, Fox News, 26 Aug. 2022 Twitter has since sued him to complete the purchase, and a five-day trial to adjudicate the matter is scheduled for October in Delaware Chancery Court. New York Times, 22 July 2022 Frezza asked for Smith's attorney to report to prosecutors and the court at what federal prison Smith is being housed in and to give 30 days' notice before his tentative release date so the circuit court could adjudicate the embezzlement case. Christina Hall, Detroit Free Press, 29 June 2022 Ukraine plans to adjudicate those cases in its own courts before issuing international criminal-arrest warrants. Ian Lovett, WSJ, 18 May 2022 The terror watch list (last estimated to have almost 2 million names on it) and no-fly list (tens of thousands) are tools used by law enforcement to monitor potential threats, not to adjudicate guilt or innocence. David Harsanyi, National Review, 2 Mar. 2022 The DIFC Courts adjudicate on disputes in what is arguably the most important commercial hub in the Middle East region. Dominic Dudley, Forbes, 3 Aug. 2022 The request sought to move the trial to another location or bring an outside jury to adjudicate it. Lydia Morrell, Journal Sentinel, 20 June 2022 Massive case backlogs continue to plague U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services and the immigration court system, crippling the government's ability to adjudicate applications in a timely manner. Camilo Montoya-galvez, CBS News, 20 Jan. 2022 See More
Max Thornberry, Fox News, 26 Aug. 2022 Twitter has since sued him to complete the purchase, and a five-day trial to adjudicate the matter is scheduled for October in Delaware Chancery Court. New York Times, 22 July 2022 Frezza asked for Smith's attorney to report to prosecutors and the court at what federal prison Smith is being housed in and to give 30 days' notice before his tentative release date so the circuit court could adjudicate the embezzlement case. Christina Hall, Detroit Free Press, 29 June 2022 Ukraine plans to adjudicate those cases in its own courts before issuing international criminal-arrest warrants. Ian Lovett, WSJ, 18 May 2022 The terror watch list (last estimated to have almost 2 million names on it) and no-fly list (tens of thousands) are tools used by law enforcement to monitor potential threats, not to adjudicate guilt or innocence. David Harsanyi, National Review, 2 Mar. 2022 The DIFC Courts adjudicate on disputes in what is arguably the most important commercial hub in the Middle East region. Dominic Dudley, Forbes, 3 Aug. 2022 The request sought to move the trial to another location or bring an outside jury to adjudicate it. Lydia Morrell, Journal Sentinel, 20 June 2022 Massive case backlogs continue to plague U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services and the immigration court system, crippling the government's ability to adjudicate applications in a timely manner. Camilo Montoya-galvez, CBS News, 20 Jan. 2022 See More 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
Legal Definition
adjudicate
verb
ad·ju·di·cate ə-ˈjü-di-ˌkāt
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
adjudicators
noun
1
as in referees
a person who impartially decides or resolves a dispute or controversy since they seemed to be in a hopeless stalemate, both labor and management agreed to use an independent adjudicator to decide the terms of the contract Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
- referees
- judges
- umpires
- arbitrators
- arbiters
- moderators
- negotiators
- magistrates
- jurists
- mediators
- justices
- intermediaries
- conciliators
- intermediates
- peacemakers
- reconcilers
- mediatrixes
- troubleshooters
- deciders
- go-betweens
2
as in judges
a public official having authority to decide questions of law the appellate court refused to hear the case, thus allowing the judgment of previous adjudicators to stand Synonyms & Similar Words
- judges
- courts
- jurists
- magistrates
- justices
- benches
- auditors
- circuit judges
- chief justices
- beaks
- jurisconsults
- masters
- squires
- justices of the peace
- jurisprudents
