These words all denote a person who makes decisions in situations in which there is a conflict of views. Judge is the most general term. In its strictest sense, a judge is a government official who presides in a court of law and administers justice by hearing and deciding cases. By extension, judge is applied to a person who has the requisite knowledge, experience and impartiality to make decisions or pass upon the merits of something.

• Your doctor is the best judge of what will cure your illness; The judges at the show awarded her a blue ribbon for her cake.

Arbitrator and arbiter are sometimes used synonymously to denote a person, or one of several persons, chosen by disputing parties to settle their differences. However, in this sense, arbitrator is the preferred term.

• In the labour dispute, three arbitrators were chosen by management and three by the workers.

Arbiter , a somewhat literary word, is more often applied to one who without official authorization or position has the prestige to make decisions or to set standards that others willingly follow.

• Lord Chesterfield was the arbiter of elegant manners and good taste in his day; Dress designers are the arbiters of women’s fashions.

Referee and umpire may both mean arbitrator , but the two words are more likely to be used in special contexts. Many sports are presided over by official judges who are appointed to enforce the rules of the game or contest and to settle disputed points. In cricket, tennis, and basketball such an official is called an umpire ; in footfall and boxing he is called a referee . Outside the world of sports, umpire and referee have further meanings. Referee is applied technically to an expert – occasionally a lawyer – to whom a pending legal case is referred, by means of a court order, for additional investigation and report. Although an arbitrator , a legal referee can be appointed without the consent of the parties involved. An umpire may be appointed to make a final decision in a case in which there is disagreement or a stalemate between the arbitrators . A referee is also a person who supplies a report on personal, academic or other qualifications of an applicant for any position.