judge
/dʒʌdʒ/ (bre, ipa) · /dʒʌdʒ/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈjəj/ (ame, mw)
judge — noun
- judgesingular
- judgesplural
1. a person who presides over a court of law, hears the evidence presented, and giv
a person who presides over a court of law, hears the evidence presented, and gives a formal decision about guilt or punishment.
The judge asked the witness to describe what she saw the night of the robbery.
countable: the judge in a court context
Judge Nkechi sentenced the man to three years in prison for the theft.
title: Judge + surname as form of address
Ignacio's uncle has worked as a judge in the district court for over twenty years.
The defence lawyer stood up and addressed the judge before the trial began.
- magistrate
a lower-level judge who deals with minor offences; narrower scope
- justice
used for senior judges, especially on appeal or supreme courts; more formal
- presiding officer
generic term for the person in charge of a court session; less common in everyday use
文法句型
the judge (with definite article)
用法筆記
Often preceded by the definite article ('the judge') or used as a title before a surname ('Judge Smith'). In British English, judges are formally addressed as 'Your Honour' in court.
常見錯誤
2. a person selected to pick the winner or rank the participants in a competition.
a person selected to pick the winner or rank the participants in a competition.
The judges gave the dance group a score of nine out of ten.
plural: the judges (panel context)
Four judges tasted each dish without knowing who had cooked it.
quantifier: four judges
Saira was chosen as a judge for the city's annual baking competition.
The head judge announced the winner after checking all the scorecards.
Each judge held up a numbered card to show how they rated the performance.
- referee
used mainly for sports matches; enforces rules rather than scoring
- umpire
used in cricket, tennis, and baseball; makes rulings during play
- adjudicator
formal term for someone who judges a contest; less common in everyday language
文法句型
the judges (plural for panel)
用法筆記
Commonly appears in the plural ('the judges') when referring to a panel. Typical contexts include cooking shows, dance competitions, sports events, and talent contests.
常見錯誤
3. a person whose knowledge or experience allows them to give an informed opinion o
a person whose knowledge or experience allows them to give an informed opinion on the quality or value of something.
Heather is a good judge of character and can spot a dishonest person quickly.
pattern: a good judge of [something]
Leo is not a judge of modern art, but he knows what he likes.
pattern: not a judge of [something]
When it comes to wine, Élise is a reliable judge of quality.
Eve is an excellent judge of wine quality — she has worked in vineyards for over a decade.
- connoisseur
someone with expert knowledge, especially in food, drink, or the arts; narrower and more refined
- critic
someone who judges creative work professionally, often writing reviews
- expert
broader term for someone with deep knowledge; not limited to evaluation
文法句型
a [adjective] judge of [something]
用法筆記
Typically appears in the pattern 'a [adjective] judge of [noun]', where the adjective describes the person's reliability (good, poor, excellent, reliable). The noun following 'of' names the area of judgment (character, quality, art, wine, talent).
judge — verb
- judgepresent simple I / you / we / they
- judges3rd person singular
- judging-ing form
- judgedpast simple
1. to form a conclusion or opinion about someone or something after weighing the av
to form a conclusion or opinion about someone or something after weighing the available evidence or information.
Dewi felt it was unfair to judge her classmates solely by their appearance when she barely knew them.
collocation: judge by appearance
David tried to judge how long the repair work would take.
pattern: judge + wh-clause (how)
The committee will judge each proposal on its cost and practicality.
Ari judged that the cake needed another ten minutes in the oven.
Rania judged from her tone that she was not telling the whole story.
文法句型
judge + noun phrase
judge + wh-clause (whether/if/how)
judge + that-clause
judge by/from + noun phrase
用法筆記
Can be transitive (judge + object), followed by a wh-clause (judge whether/if/how), or a that-clause. The phrase 'judging by/from' is also common but belongs to verb sense 4. Frequently passive when the basis of judgment is emphasised ('It should be judged on its quality, not its price').
常見錯誤
2. to form a harsh or unfavourable opinion of someone's character or behaviour, oft
to form a harsh or unfavourable opinion of someone's character or behaviour, often without knowing the full situation.
Quinn felt that his classmates were judging him for wearing old clothes.
transitive: judge + person + for + noun phrase
Please do not judge me — I did the best I could under the circumstances.
negative imperative: do not judge
Jiwoo's parents never judged her choices, even when they disagreed.
Yael judged the school's new lunch menu too quickly, without giving the cooks a chance to improve it.
- criticise
more direct and explicit about expressing disapproval; less emotional
- condemn
stronger disapproval, often moral in nature; more formal
- look down on
phrasal verb suggesting a feeling of superiority; informal
文法句型
judge + noun phrase (person)
judge (no object)
don't judge
用法筆記
Frequently used in negative imperatives ('Don't judge!') or in defensive statements where the speaker feels wrongly criticised ('You're judging me'). The object is typically a person or the person's choices/behaviour. Unlike sense 1, this sense carries a clear negative connotation and implies the judgment is unfair or premature.
常見錯誤
3. to act as the official decider in a contest or competition, typically by giving
to act as the official decider in a contest or competition, typically by giving scores or selecting the winner.
Kofi was asked to judge the final round of the school science fair.
passive: be asked to judge + event
Sivan has judged many dance competitions across the country.
present perfect: has judged + competitions
Two professional chefs will judge the cooking contest at the town festival.
A panel of experts will judge the entries and select the best design.
Tamar judged the race and announced the winner at the closing ceremony.
- adjudicate
more formal; used in legal or official competition contexts
- referee
specific to sports; focuses on rule enforcement
- score
focuses on assigning numerical ratings rather than declaring a winner
文法句型
judge + noun phrase (competition/event)
用法筆記
The subject is usually a person with official authority to decide the outcome. Often appears in the passive structure ('The competition was judged by…'). The object is the event, contest, or entries, not the participants directly.
常見錯誤
4. used to explain what evidence or observation led to a particular conclusion, alw
used to explain what evidence or observation led to a particular conclusion, always in the fixed structures 'judging by' or 'judging from'.
Judging by the dark clouds, a storm is likely to arrive this evening.
fixed pattern: judging by + noun phrase for prediction
The party was a huge success, judging from the smiles on everyone's faces.
fixed pattern: judging from + noun phrase for inference
Judging by her expression, Jenna did not expect to receive that news.
Judging from the empty shelves, the sale had already started.
Judging from the noise outside, the children are having a wonderful time.
- going by
informal alternative with the same meaning
- based on
more formal; used in different syntactic positions
- to judge by/from
infinitive form used similarly but less common
文法句型
judging by + noun phrase
judging from + noun phrase
用法筆記
Unlike the other verb senses, this sense only appears in the present participle form ('judging by/from') as a fixed phrase at the start of a sentence, or in the structure 'judge from [evidence] that [conclusion]'. It is a discourse marker that signals the speaker is making an inference. Cannot be conjugated for person or tense ('*I judged by the clouds' does not carry this sense).