noun
- a civil officer or lay judge who administers the law, especially one who conducts a court that deals with minor offenses and holds preliminary hearings for more serious ones
Examples
- The magistrate sentenced the defendant to community service.
- She appeared before a magistrate for the traffic violation.
- The case was heard by a local magistrate in municipal court.
- He served as a magistrate for over twenty years.
- The magistrate issued a warrant for the suspect’s arrest.
- Minor disputes are often resolved by a magistrate rather than a jury trial.