arbitrar

to referee, to arbitrate

verb ahr-bee-TRAHR Rare

Origin: From Latin arbitrare (to judge, to decide).

Also means

to devise, to find (funds/solutions)

Usage Note

Arbitrar means to referee a sports match (arbitrar un partido) or to arbitrate a dispute. It has a second, administrative sense: arbitrar recursos means to find or mobilize resources (funds, measures) — common in political and economic language. The noun árbitro (referee/arbitrator) is more frequently encountered; arbitrar is the verb form used in formal and journalistic registers.

Examples

"El árbitro arbitró el partido con imparcialidad."

Natural Translation

The referee officiated the match impartially.

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