What does adjudicate mean?
Word: Adjudicate
Part of Speech: Verb
Meaning: Adjudicate means to give the official decision in a contest or in a disagreement between people.
Synonyms: referee
How do you spell adjudicate?
Syllables: ad - ju - di - cate
Tricky part: A d slips in before the j, so the word begins adj, a start that is easy to miss when you say it aloud.
Watch out for: ajudicate, adjudicait
Memory tip: Think of the alphabet: d comes before j there, and at the start of this word too.
Adjudicate in a sentence
Example 1: A senior player will adjudicate if the two teams disagree over the score.
Example 2: The principal was asked to adjudicate between the two houses in the tug of war.
Example 3: Who will adjudicate the elocution contest this year?
Fun Fact
In British music and drama festivals, the expert who comments on every performance and gives the marks is known as the adjudicator.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Connection
Choose the synonym of the word adjudicate as used in the sentence:
Two retired teachers will adjudicate the inter-school debate on Saturday.
a) organise
b) announce
c) attend
d) judge
Show answer
d) judge. The teachers will weigh up the speakers and decide who wins, which is what a judge does.
Mingle-Mangle
Unscramble the jumbled word in the sentence and choose the correct word:
The panel will tjuadciead the poster competition at noon.
a) advocate
b) abdicate
c) accommodate
d) adjudicate
Show answer
d) adjudicate. Only one of these has a j, and that j is right there among the letters.
Word Cookie
Find the misspelt word in the sentence:
The three experts who adjudacate the state science fair walk past every stall and write detailed comments for each young exhibitor.
a) experts
b) comments
c) adjudacate
d) exhibitor
Show answer
c) adjudacate. The vowel after the second d is an i.
Spell-o-Spell
Three words in the list are spelt correctly and one is misspelt. Choose the meaning of the misspelt word.
1. adjudikate 2. summarise 3. negotiate 4. postpone
a) to move an event to a later time
b) to settle who wins or who is right
c) to discuss something until both sides agree
d) to give the main points briefly
Show answer
b) to settle who wins or who is right. The k sound here is spelt with a c.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Someone asked to adjudicate a dispute must above all be ____.
a) quick with numbers
b) popular with the team
c) fair to both sides
d) good at public speaking
Show answer
c) fair to both sides
2. Which person is adjudicating?
a) a parent filming a dance on a phone
b) a teacher booking a hall for a dance
c) a dancer practising her steps at home
d) an expert awarding marks at a dance contest
Show answer
d) an expert awarding marks at a dance contest
