judge

A judge is a person who presides over a trial in a court of law. Judges makes sure that the laws are followed and try to ensure fairness.

A judge can also be a person who decides on the quality of a thing or the ability of a competitor who has entered a contest.

Any ordinary person can say he or she is a judge of something.

The word "judge" is often used as a verb:

• Consumers judge the quality of a product after they purchase it.
• Parents judge the behavior of their children.
• We need all the necessary information possible to properly judge something.
• The house was judged to be too dangerous for human occupation, so it was torn down.
• A driver who misjudges road conditions can get into an accident. (misjudge = make a mistake)

There are a few popular expressions that use the word "judge."

• I’ll be the judge of that. (I’ll decide if it’s good or not.)
• Let me be the judge.
• Who am I to judge? (I’m not in a position to say something or someone is good or bad.)
• You can’t judge a book by its cover. (This means that you can’t determine the goodness or the badness of a thing solely by its appearance.)

The word "judgment" (also spelled "judgement") is used when talking about the process or the result of judging something.

• He has a bad sense of judgment.
• The woman’s judgment was questioned following the accident.
• A judgment on the merits of the case followed the presentation of facts by lawyers on both sides.
• It’s not fair to sit in judgment of a person whose circumstances are unknown to you.
• Gertrude believes that Judgment Day is near. (Judgment Day is the day when the world ends. God sorts out those who are good from those who are bad.)

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Date of publication: December 16, 2016