as in referee
a person who impartially decides or resolves a dispute or controversy the dean of student affairs is the proper arbiter when a student disputes a grade

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of arbiter To raise wages and win enforceable safety and job security, workers need more than a neutral arbiter in a lengthy legal process. Shaun Richman, New York Daily News, 6 Apr. 2025 Left unsaid: the arbiter of the law, Boasberg, said those migrants needed to stay in the United States. Philip Elliott, TIME, 17 Mar. 2025 In a typical court case, the judge is a neutral arbiter who referees a dispute between a plaintiff and a defendant and then either reaches a decision or instructs a jury. Henry Gass, Christian Science Monitor, 30 Apr. 2025 That’s because, according to doctors, public health experts and propaganda researchers who know Kennedy’s history well, the health and human services secretary is threading the needle between his agency’s role as a neutral arbiter of science and the rhetoric of anti-vaccine activists. Michelle R. Smith, Chicago Tribune, 15 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for arbiter
Recent Examples of Synonyms for arbiter
Noun
  • The problem is why the international referees were not here today.
    Zak Garner-Purkis, Forbes.com, 28 May 2025
  • According to Sky Sports, Bramall has officiated 11 Premier League games this season, with 17 referees taking charge of more games.
    George Ramsay, CNN Money, 26 May 2025
Noun
  • Council members haven’t had the power to vote for or against their own pay raises since a 2018 ballot measure that tied their compensation — including any raises — directly to the salaries of state Superior Court judges.
    David Garrick, San Diego Union-Tribune, 26 May 2025
  • This has been observed across various settings, from judges giving less favorable rulings later in the day to professionals like nurses and air traffic controllers showing reduced cognitive sharpness when mentally depleted.
    Mark Travers, Forbes.com, 26 May 2025
Noun
  • The game was delayed 18 minutes, first for the umpires to deliberate on what the proper ruling would be, then to clear the field of debris thrown from the Rogers Centre stands.
    Tim Britton, New York Times, 30 May 2025
  • The umpire ruled that the out at third was recorded before the run had crossed the plate, but video of the play appeared to show otherwise.
    John Maffei, San Diego Union-Tribune, 28 May 2025
Noun
  • Torrington city officials appealed the arbitration decision to the Superior Court in Torrington, where a judge set aside the arbitrator’s decision and ordered that a new arbitration take place, Brignole said.
    Justin Muszynski, Hartford Courant, 31 May 2025
  • She was also told not to continue prompting, publishing or distributing the book, emergency arbitrator Nicholas Gowen wrote in his decision.
    Miranda Nazzaro, The Hill, 13 Mar. 2025

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Arbiter.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/arbiter. Accessed 5 Jun. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on arbiter

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!