What does "adjudicate" mean?

To decide, rule on, or settle as a judge.

What is a synonym for "adjudicate"?

Common synonyms include: judge, settle, try, adjudge, arbitrate, decide.

Pronounced //əˈd͡ʒuː.dɪ.keɪt//.

//əˈd͡ʒuː.dɪ.keɪt// verb

verb ·Moderate ·College level

Verb

1
To decide, rule on, or settle as a judge. transitive
"From the twelfth century Shetland had been administered directly by the Norwegian crown through the 'foud', rather than forming part of the patrimony of a great aristocratic estate. The foud appointed 'underfouds' and the Shetlands evolved their own elected officers, a 'lawman' and parish 'lawrightmen', who adjudicated and negotiated the collection of customary taxes and fines on behalf of the local population."
2
bring to an end; settle conclusively wordnet
3
To act as a judge. intransitive, often
"A Court of Arbitration, constituted by the World Bank in The Hague, has brushed aside New Delhi’s objections and concluded that it has the competence to adjudicate on Pakistan’s objection to the Kishenganga and Ralte hydroelectric projects of India."
4
put on trial or hear a case and sit as the judge at the trial of wordnet
5
To seize or convey as security. transitive

"The referee had to adjudicate the disputed play."

Borrowed from Latin adiūdicō, adiūdicātus, from ad + iūdicō (“to judge”). Doublet of adjudge.

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.