magistrate
noun
mag·is·trate
ˈma-jə-ˌstrāt 
-strət
: an official entrusted with administration of the laws: such as
a
: a principal official exercising governmental powers over a major political unit (such as a nation)
b
: a local official exercising administrative and often judicial functions
c
: a local judiciary official having limited original jurisdiction (see jurisdiction sense 1) especially in criminal cases
Examples of magistrate in a Sentence
chose to take their case before the local magistrate
Recent Examples on the Web
The first three groups of 73 migrants transferred there in October, November and January spent only a few hours in Albania and were returned to Italy after Italian magistrates refused to validate their detention in the non-EU country.
—
Erion Xhabafti, Los Angeles Times, 13 Apr. 2025
That same day, the agency obtained a federal arrest warrant and criminal complaint from a U.S. magistrate judge and transferred her to the U.S. Marshals Service.
—Ron Estes, MSNBC Newsweek, 28 Mar. 2025
This surprised several county magistrates, who said jail staff had promised a year ago to begin consistently forwarding them to the court.
—Ilana Panich-Linsman, New York Times, 25 Mar. 2025
In a statement, Columbia President Katrina Armstrong said the DHS agents had two search warrants signed by a federal magistrate judge authorizing them to enter non-public areas of the university and conduct searches of two student rooms.
—Katherine Faulders, ABC News, 14 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for magistrate
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Erion Xhabafti, Los Angeles Times, 13 Apr. 2025
That same day, the agency obtained a federal arrest warrant and criminal complaint from a U.S. magistrate judge and transferred her to the U.S. Marshals Service.
—Ron Estes, MSNBC Newsweek, 28 Mar. 2025
This surprised several county magistrates, who said jail staff had promised a year ago to begin consistently forwarding them to the court.
—Ilana Panich-Linsman, New York Times, 25 Mar. 2025
In a statement, Columbia President Katrina Armstrong said the DHS agents had two search warrants signed by a federal magistrate judge authorizing them to enter non-public areas of the university and conduct searches of two student rooms.
—Katherine Faulders, ABC News, 14 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for magistrate
Cite this Entry
“Magistrate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/magistrate. Accessed 22 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
magistrate
noun
mag·is·trate
ˈmaj-ə-ˌstrāt
-strət
1
: a chief officer of government (as over a nation)
the president is the chief magistrate
2
: a local official with some judicial power
Legal Definition
magistrate
noun
mag·is·trate
ˈma-jə-ˌstrāt, -strət
1
: a civil or judicial official vested with limited judicial powers
a traffic magistrate
2
a
: a municipal, state, or federal judicial officer commonly authorized to issue warrants, hear minor cases, and conduct preliminary or pretrial hearings
called also magistrate judge
b
: an official (as a judge) authorized to perform the role or function of a magistrate
magistrate means an officer having power to issue a warrant for the arrest of a person charged with a public offense—Arizona Revised Statutes
Arizona Revised StatutesEtymology
Latin magistratus magistracy, magistrate, from magistr-, magister master, political superior
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