Thesaurus results for MAGISTRATES

magistrates

noun

plural of magistrate

as in judges

a public official having authority to decide questions of law chose to take their case before the local magistrate

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 magistrates At a hearing this week, Judge Araceli Martinez-Olguin asked the parties to identify two potential magistrates who could oversee mediation by next Wednesday. — Gene Maddaus, Variety, 22 Aug. 2026 Now, under the law named after her, magistrates and judges in North Carolina must be stricter when setting release conditions for people charged with violent crimes. — Ryan Oehrli, Charlotte Observer, 8 June 2026 Of the 931 federal judges and magistrates who responded, only 15 had ever fielded a challenge to audiovisual evidence as a deepfake. — Lars Daniel, Forbes.com, 14 May 2026 Judge Amanda Tipples, who was assisted by two magistrates, said that the initial report made by Brooks did not mention damage to the phone, but referred to harassment instead. — ABC News, 1 May 2026 In 16th-century Italy, gamblers could wager on the election of civic magistrates and the outcome of papal conclaves. — Parker Bach, The Conversation, 31 Mar. 2026 Petro did not participate in the attack, which left several guerrillas and around half the high court's magistrates dead. — Arkansas Online, 21 Mar. 2026 When are magistrates going to keep bad guys behind bars? — Stepheny Price, FOXNews.com, 7 Mar. 2026 Unlike the first trial in Avignon, which was overseen by five professional magistrates, the appeal trial was judged by a jury, and this time citizens had their say. — Gaby Wood, Vogue, 21 Feb. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for magistrates

Noun

Defiant, Mladic acted bullishly during his trial and yelled at the judges when sentenced to life in prison.

— Jovana Gec, Los Angeles Times, 27 Aug. 2026
The couple were known in South Florida for their dinner parties at their homes in Miami Beach and Coconut Grove that gathered musicians, fellow attorneys and judges, senators, bankers, philanthropists and journalists.

— Howard Cohen, Miami Herald, 27 Aug. 2026

Definition of judges

Noun

In lower courts, the administration has argued that the president has total authority to renovate the White House and other federal buildings.

— Lindsay Whitehurst, Chicago Tribune, 31 Aug. 2026
In hip-hop and other genres, producers were using snippets of other people’s records; courts often ruled that this was a form of theft, although hip-hop fans tended to see it as righteous theft.

— Kelefa Sanneh, New Yorker, 31 Aug. 2026

Definition of courts

Browse Nearby Words

magistrate

magistrates

magnanimity

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Magistrates.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/magistrates. Accessed 2 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of magistrates

noun

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

dissonant

Popular in Grammar & Usage

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

Why does English have so many silent letters?

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Popular in Wordplay

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

Even More Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Popular

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

Games & Quizzes