noun · 5 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.
Received-Pronunciation:/ˌɑː.bɪˈtɹeɪ.ʃən/
Received-Pronunciation:[ˌɑː.bəˈt̠͡ɹ̠eɪ.ʃn̩]
General-American:/ˌɑɹ.bɪˈtɹeɪ.ʃən/
General-American:[ˌɑɹ.bəˈt̠͡ɹ̠eɪ.ʃn̩]
US:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
rhymes with -eɪʃən
CMU ARPABET:AA2 R B IH0 T R EY1 SH AH0 N
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
1
noun
Meaning 1
The act or process of arbitrating.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, uncountable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
2
noun
Meaning 2
A process through which two or more parties use an arbitrator or arbiter in order to resolve a dispute.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, uncountable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
3
noun
Meaning 3
In general, a form of justice where both parties designate a person whose ruling they will accept formally. More specifically in Market Anarchist (market anarchy) theory, arbitration designates the process by which two agencies pre-negotiate a set of common rules in anticipation of cases where a customer from each agency is involved in a dispute.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, uncountable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
4
noun
Meaning 4
the act of deciding as an arbiter; giving authoritative judgment
(law) the hearing and determination of a dispute by an impartial referee agreed to by both parties (often used to settle disputes between labor and management)
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: mediation
History
Etymology
Etymology tree Latin arbiter Proto-Indo-European *-h2 Proto-Indo-European *-éh2 Proto-Indo-European *-yéti Proto-Indo-European *-eh2yéti Proto-Indo-European *-h2tiinflu. Proto-Italic *-ājō Proto-Italic *-āō Latin -ō Latin arbitror Latin arbitratio Old French arbitrationbor. Middle English arbitracion English arbitration From Middle English arbitracion, borrowed from Old French arbitration, from Latin arbitratio, from arbitrari (“to arbitrate, judge”); see arbitrate.
Across languages
Translations
65 source translations are retained for this English entry.
Armenian:
արբիտրաժ
(arbitraž)
— the act or process of arbitrating
Bulgarian:
арбитра́ж
(arbitráž)
— the act or process of arbitrating
Chinese Mandarin:
仲裁
(zhòngcái)
— the act or process of arbitrating
Dutch:
arbitratie
— the act or process of arbitrating
Finnish:
välimiesmenettely
— the act or process of arbitrating
Finnish:
arbitraatio
— the act or process of arbitrating
French:
arbitrage
— the act or process of arbitrating
Georgian:
არბიტრაჟი
(arbiṭraži)
— the act or process of arbitrating
German:
Schiedsspruch
— the act or process of arbitrating
Indonesian:
arbitrase
— the act or process of arbitrating
Italian:
arbitraggio
— the act or process of arbitrating
Japanese:
仲裁
(chūsai)
— the act or process of arbitrating
Japanese:
仲介
(chūkai)
— the act or process of arbitrating
Korean:
중재
(jungjae)
— the act or process of arbitrating
Latin:
arbitrium
— the act or process of arbitrating
Malay:
penimbangtaraan
— the act or process of arbitrating
Malayalam:
മദ്ധ്യസ്ഥത
(maddhyasthata)
— the act or process of arbitrating
Malayalam:
ആർബിട്രേഷൻ
(āṟbiṭrēṣaṉ)
— the act or process of arbitrating
Mongolian:
арбитраж
(arbitraž)
— the act or process of arbitrating
Polish:
arbitraż
— the act or process of arbitrating
Portuguese:
arbitragem
— the act or process of arbitrating
Portuguese:
arbitramento
— the act or process of arbitrating
Portuguese:
arbitração
— the act or process of arbitrating
Romanian:
arbitrare
— the act or process of arbitrating
Romanian:
arbitraj
— the act or process of arbitrating
Russian:
арбитра́ж
(arbitráž)
— the act or process of arbitrating
Spanish:
arbitraje
— the act or process of arbitrating
Ukrainian:
арбітра́ж
(arbitráž)
— the act or process of arbitrating
Zhuang:
banjbuenq
— the act or process of arbitrating
Armenian:
արբիտրաժ
(arbitraž)
— process through which two or more parties use an arbitrator or arbiter in order to resolve a dispute
Azerbaijani:
arbitraj
— process through which two or more parties use an arbitrator or arbiter in order to resolve a dispute
Bulgarian:
арбитра́ж
(arbitráž)
— process through which two or more parties use an arbitrator or arbiter in order to resolve a dispute
Chinese Mandarin:
仲裁
(zhòngcái)
— process through which two or more parties use an arbitrator or arbiter in order to resolve a dispute
Dutch:
arbitratie
— process through which two or more parties use an arbitrator or arbiter in order to resolve a dispute
Finnish:
välimiesmenettely
— process through which two or more parties use an arbitrator or arbiter in order to resolve a dispute
Finnish:
arbitraatio
— process through which two or more parties use an arbitrator or arbiter in order to resolve a dispute
French:
arbitrage
— process through which two or more parties use an arbitrator or arbiter in order to resolve a dispute
Indonesian:
arbitrase
— process through which two or more parties use an arbitrator or arbiter in order to resolve a dispute
Italian:
arbitrato
— process through which two or more parties use an arbitrator or arbiter in order to resolve a dispute
Italian:
mediazione
— process through which two or more parties use an arbitrator or arbiter in order to resolve a dispute
Japanese:
仲裁
(chūsai)
— process through which two or more parties use an arbitrator or arbiter in order to resolve a dispute
Korean:
중재
(jungjae)
— process through which two or more parties use an arbitrator or arbiter in order to resolve a dispute
Latin:
arbitrium
— process through which two or more parties use an arbitrator or arbiter in order to resolve a dispute
Malayalam:
മദ്ധ്യസ്ഥം
(maddhyasthaṁ)
— process through which two or more parties use an arbitrator or arbiter in order to resolve a dispute
Norwegian:
voldgift
— process through which two or more parties use an arbitrator or arbiter in order to resolve a dispute
Polish:
arbitraż
— process through which two or more parties use an arbitrator or arbiter in order to resolve a dispute
Portuguese:
arbitragem
— process through which two or more parties use an arbitrator or arbiter in order to resolve a dispute
Portuguese:
arbitramento
— process through which two or more parties use an arbitrator or arbiter in order to resolve a dispute
Portuguese:
arbitração
— process through which two or more parties use an arbitrator or arbiter in order to resolve a dispute
Russian:
арбитра́ж
(arbitráž)
— process through which two or more parties use an arbitrator or arbiter in order to resolve a dispute
Swedish:
skiljedom
— process through which two or more parties use an arbitrator or arbiter in order to resolve a dispute
Ukrainian:
арбітра́ж
(arbitráž)
— process through which two or more parties use an arbitrator or arbiter in order to resolve a dispute