1 adjudicate | Definition of adjudicate
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adjudicate

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

Definition of adjudicate

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.
Other Words from adjudicate Synonyms Did You Know? More Example Sentences Learn More about adjudicate

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Other Words from adjudicate

adjudicative \ -​ˌkā-​tiv How to pronounce adjudicative (audio) , -​kə-​ \ adjective
adjudicator \ -​ˌkā-​tər How to pronounce adjudicator (audio) \ noun
adjudicatory \ -​ˈjü-​di-​kə-​ˌtȯr-​ē How to pronounce adjudicatory (audio) \ adjective

Did You Know?

Adjudicate is one of several terms that give testimony to the influence of jus, the Latin word for "law," on our legal language. Adjudicate is from the Latin verb adjudicare, from judicare, meaning "to judge," which, in turn, traces to the Latin noun judex, meaning "judge." English has other judex words, such as judgment, judicial, judiciary, and prejudice. If we admit further evidence, we discover that the root of judex is jus, the word for "law." What's the verdict? Latin law words frequently preside in English-speaking courtrooms. In addition to the judex words, jury, justice, injury, and perjury are all ultimately from Latin jus.

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.
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Recent Examples on the Web

 Just as the process of adjudicating insanity verdicts is highly subjective, so is the process of deciding when acquittees should be freed. — Washington Post, "No sane reason," 4 Sep. 2019 Currently, detained immigrants take about two months on average to have their immigration cases adjudicated, but the officials said there is no limit on how long a family can be detained under the new rule. — Julia Ainsley, NBC News, "Trump administration to lift limit on how long it can detain migrant families," 21 Aug. 2019 That threatens to paralyze the world’s final forum for adjudicating global trade rules. — BostonGlobe.com, "Mohamad Ali leaving Carbonite," 27 July 2019 Many of those charges were dismissed as part of plea agreements, and many have yet to be adjudicated, court records show. — Andrew Clark, Indianapolis Star, "Indianapolis-area man accused of making $1M on eBay in fake bar-code scheme, police say," 22 Aug. 2019 In addition, the White House slashed refugee admissions, ended a number of special programs and changed rules used to adjudicate visa applications. — Mariano Sana, The Conversation, "Americans’ support for immigration is at record highs – but the government is out of sync with their views," 8 Aug. 2019 Mike Mancuso, the president of the police union that represents rank-and-file officers, said the judge was right to throw out the cases, but the department’s failure to promptly adjudicate internal affairs cases does not benefit officers. — Kevin Rector, baltimoresun.com, "76 Baltimore Police misconduct cases have been allowed to expire since 2016," 25 July 2019 This is not the forum to adjudicate my scholarship. — The Economist, "“Academic mobbing” undermines open inquiry and destroys the soul of universities," 23 July 2019 Ball, adjudicated as a juvenile of a felony, is prohibited from possessing any firearm. — Bruce Vielmetti, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Milwaukee man gets 4 years in prison for crash with a school bus that killed his brother," 22 July 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'adjudicate.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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First Known Use of adjudicate

circa 1695, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

History and Etymology for adjudicate

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

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More Definitions for adjudicate

adjudicate

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

Legal Definition of adjudicate

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

Other Words from adjudicate

adjudication \ ə-​ˌjü-​di-​ˈkā-​shən How to pronounce adjudication (audio) \ noun
adjudicative \ ə-​ˈjü-​di-​ˌkā-​tiv, -​kə-​ \ noun
adjudicator \ -​ˌkā-​tər How to pronounce adjudicator (audio) \ noun

History and Etymology for adjudicate

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

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More from Merriam-Webster on adjudicate

Rhyming Dictionary: Words that rhyme with adjudicate

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for adjudicate

Spanish Central: Translation of adjudicate

Nglish: Translation of adjudicate for Spanish Speakers

Britannica English: Translation of adjudicate for Arabic Speakers

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