Standard Lemma guide

arbitration

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

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • they submitted their disagreement to arbitration

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: arbitrament, arbitrement

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: judgment, judgement, judicial decision

5

noun

Meaning 5

(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
  • Armenian: արբիտրաժ (arbitraž) — form of justice
  • Chinese Mandarin: 仲裁 (zhòngcái) — form of justice
  • Dutch: arbitrage — form of justice
  • Finnish: välimiesmenettely — form of justice
  • Finnish: arbitraatio — form of justice
  • French: arbitrage — form of justice
  • Indonesian: arbitrase — form of justice
  • Italian: mediazione — form of justice
  • Japanese: 仲介 (chūkai) — form of justice
  • Portuguese: arbitragem — form of justice
  • Portuguese: arbitramento — form of justice
  • Portuguese: arbitração — form of justice
  • Russian: арбитра́ж (arbitráž) — form of justice
Real reading context

arbitration in complete knowledge articles