as in referee
a person who impartially decides or resolves a dispute or controversy
usually acts as umpire in the all-too-frequent squabbles between the two other roommates
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
as in to decide
to give an opinion about (something at issue or in dispute)
in our family disputes regarding the use of our home entertainment system are umpired by Dad
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of umpire
ABC News, 1 Apr. 2026
The walk was undone by the reversal of the pitch call, but Shelton thought the challenge was issued too late and shouldn’t have been allowed (elsewhere an umpire decided the Braves’ Matt Olson was actually guilty of a too-slow head tap and refused to send a strike against him to review).
—Hannah Keyser, CNN Money, 31 Mar. 2026
Ryan Morik, FOXNews.com, 30 Dec. 2025
Ed Montague umpired for 34 seasons and recalls Bonds’s ability more clearly than most.
—Jeremy Collins, The Atlantic, 12 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for umpire
Noun
Albert Suárez was on the mound for the Orioles in the top of the ninth inning against Texas when his 1-2 pitch to Evan Carter with two outs was called a ball by plate umpire Manny Gonzalez.
—ABC News, 1 Apr. 2026
The walk was undone by the reversal of the pitch call, but Shelton thought the challenge was issued too late and shouldn’t have been allowed (elsewhere an umpire decided the Braves’ Matt Olson was actually guilty of a too-slow head tap and refused to send a strike against him to review).
—Hannah Keyser, CNN Money, 31 Mar. 2026
Verb
Hoberg didn’t umpire last season.
—Ryan Morik, FOXNews.com, 30 Dec. 2025
Ed Montague umpired for 34 seasons and recalls Bonds’s ability more clearly than most.
—Jeremy Collins, The Atlantic, 12 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for umpire
Recent Examples of Synonyms for umpire
Noun
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Last year, Republicans also had to deal with days of trading paper with the parliamentarian, a nonpartisan referee of Senate rules who gets to decide whether language complies with budget reconciliation.—
David Sivak,
The Washington Examiner,
28 Mar. 2026
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Bless the referees working that game.—
Andrew Greif,
NBC news,
27 Mar. 2026
Verb
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This information helps the military decide whether a rescue is immediately feasible, what methods should be used, and which aircraft to send to rescue the crew.—
Janet Loehrke,
USA Today,
4 Apr. 2026
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As first impressions go, this was the equivalent of forgetting a date’s name, checking the phone while ordering, and deciding to talk religion and politics over dessert.—
Troy Renck,
Denver Post,
4 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Trever Nehls was also defeated in a 2022 race for Fort Bend County judge by three percentage points.—
Jay Stahl,
USA Today,
4 Apr. 2026
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When the populist demagogue Willie Stark orders Burden, journalist turned gumshoe, to dig up dirt on a local judge, Burden demurs; certainly there are no skeletons in the office of the good judge.—
Brenda Wineapple,
The New York Review of Books,
4 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The impossibility of his quest began to settle in.—
Cora Engelbrecht,
New Yorker,
3 Apr. 2026
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The Southlake megachurch and its attorneys want to use someone from the American Arbitration Association or a district judge to settle the matter.—
Lillie Davidson,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
2 Apr. 2026
Verb
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White Settlement detectives collaborated with agencies across North Texas to determine whether the three suspects were connected to similar incidents in the Metroplex, according to the statement.—
Lillie Davidson,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
29 Mar. 2026
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Pierson was determined to do things differently.—
Lauren Clark,
CBS News,
29 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Who is or is not punk rock is still something Love and Corgan deny Gordon the right to arbitrate.—
Bethy Squires,
Vulture,
1 Apr. 2026
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In 2022, however, SeaWorld allegedly refused to pay Sesame Workshop millions of dollars in royalties for the Sesame Place park in Langhorne, Pennsylvania, forcing Sesame Workshop to arbitrate the claim, according to the lawsuit.—
Isabel Yip,
NBC news,
13 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Coffey opened a special court in a homeless shelter so homeless people facing misdemeanors could have their cases adjudicated.—
Linda Mcintosh,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
31 Mar. 2026
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The State Department said that all visa applications will be adjudicated on a case-by-case basis by officers.—
Adam Crafton,
New York Times,
25 Mar. 2026
Verb
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There was a nervy finale at San Siro as Nikola Vlasic pulled one back from the penalty spot after Pavlovic was adjudged to have dragged down Simeone.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
21 Mar. 2026
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The crossbar, the tip of Dan Ndoye’s heel being adjudged to be offside, and a familiar brand of wasteful finishing all combined, in frustrating fashion, to ensure one more blank was added to that tally in this 0-0 draw with Fulham.—
Paul Taylor,
New York Times,
16 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Umpire.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/umpire. Accessed 4 Apr. 2026.
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