judgeship

judgeship — noun

1. the job of being a judge in a court of law, or the period during which someone s

1.nounB2
Definition

the job of being a judge in a court of law, or the period during which someone serves in that position

Example

After twenty years as a lawyer, Patricia Okonkwo was offered a federal judgeship.

federal judgeship — appointed role

Judge Haruto Yamamoto said he would resign his judgeship at the end of the year.

resign a judgeship

Common collocations
  • appoint to a judgeship
  • resign from a judgeship
  • hold a judgeship
  • federal judgeship
  • state judgeship
  • lifetime judgeship
  • vacant judgeship
  • seek a judgeship
Synonyms
  • bench

    more institutional than personal; 'appointed to the bench' suggests the role in general, while 'a judgeship' implies a specific post

Usage Note

Often used with a modifier specifying the type of court, such as federal judgeship, state judgeship, or district judgeship.

Common Mistakes

She was appointed to a judge position.
She was appointed to a judgeship.
The noun judgeship is the standard term for the office; judge position is not idiomatic.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Judgeship refers to the specific position or tenure of an individual judge. The bench is a collective or institutional term — being 'appointed to the bench' means becoming a judge in general, whereas 'appointed to a judgeship' points to a concrete posting. Judiciary is the broadest term, referring to the entire branch of government that interprets the law. For example: 'She was appointed to the federal bench' (institutional role), 'He was offered a judgeship on the district court' (specific post), 'The judiciary must remain independent from political pressure.'

judgeship ↗bench ↗judiciary ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • federal judgeship
  • state judgeship
  • district judgeship
  • appeals judgeship
  • lifetime judgeship
  • vacant judgeship

Phrases

  • appoint someone to a judgeship
  • hold a judgeship
  • resign from a judgeship
  • be appointed to the bench

Prepositions

  • appoint to a judgeship
  • resign from a judgeship
  • appointed to the bench
  • serve on the bench

Etymology

LatinOld FrenchEnglish

Formed from 'judge' (from Old French 'jugier', meaning to judge or pass judgment, ultimately from Latin 'iūdicāre') plus the suffix '-ship', which indicates a state, condition, or office. The word has been in English use since at least the 16th century.