judge(noun)

a public officer who hears and decides cases in a law court

The judge asked if the jury had reached a verdict.

judge(verb)

to hear and try (cases) in a court of law

Who will be judging this murder case?

judge(noun)

a person who decides which is the best in a competition etc

The judge's decision is final (= you cannot argue with the judge's decision); He was asked to be on the panel of judges at the beauty contest.

judge(verb)

to decide which is the best in a competition etc

Is she going to judge the singing competition again?; Who will be judging the vegetables at the flower show?; Who is judging at the horse show?

judge(noun)

a person who is skilled at deciding how good etc something is

He says she's honest, and he's a good judge of character; He seems a very fine pianist to me, but I'm no judge.

judge(verb)

to consider and form an idea of; to estimate

You can't judge a man by his appearance; Watch how a cat judges the distance before it jumps; She couldn't judge whether he was telling the truth.

judge(verb)

to criticize for doing wrong

We have no right to judge him; – we might have done the same thing ourselves.