1. A high-ranking court officer, or a public official who hears and decides cases brought before a court of law: The judge decided to give the accused man a suspended sentence and allowed him to go.
2. Someone who supervises court trials, instructs juries, and pronounces judicial sentences: Frederik has been a well-known judge in the community for over twenty years.
3. A person, sometimes one of several, appointed to assess entries or performances in a competition and decide who wins: Sam was one of the judges for the artistic exhibition contest.
4. Someone who forms an opinion about some action or criticizes the behavior of another person or people: The teacher decided that he couldn't judge Lorna's school work adequately because she has been absent too often.
5. Etymology: "to form an opinion about", from Anglo-French juger, from Old French jugier "to judge", from Latin judicare "to judge", from judicem "to judge", a compound of jus "right, law" + root of dicere "to say".

1. To form an opinion about something after considering all the details or facts: Judge Clifford was given the responsibility of judging this special case.
2. To decide who or what is the winner of a competition: Amy was authorized to judge who was the champion of the contest.
3. To assess the quality of something or to estimate probabilities: Each suggestion must be judged on its own merits.
4. To form an opinion about someone or something; especially, after thinking whether it has met certain standards: The group judged Trudy's cake to be the best in the baking competition.

A high-ranking court officer, or a public official, who presides over a U.S. Federal or State court.