arbitration

noun

ar·​bi·​tra·​tion ˌär-bə-ˈtrā-shən How to pronounce arbitration (audio)
: the action of arbitrating
especially : the hearing and determination of a disputed case by an arbiter
a case that is in arbitration
They agreed to settle the dispute by arbitration.
arbitrational adjective

Did you know?

Are arbiter and arbitration arbitrary?

A large portion of the words we use today come from Latin roots. Many of these words retain a meaning that is closely related to their Latin ancestor, although sometimes they will drift a considerable distance from their roots (sinister, for instance, had the meaning of “on the left side” in Latin, but also meant “unlucky, inauspicious”). In some instances, a single Latin word will give rise to multiple words in English, some of which have strayed in meaning, and others which have not.

An example of this may be found in our word arbiter. We trace it to the Latin root with the same spelling, arbiter, meaning “eyewitness, onlooker, person appointed to settle a dispute.” A number of English words stem from the Latin arbiter, many of which have to do with judging or being a judge. An arbiter is a judge, and arbitration is the act of judging, or serving as an arbiter. Yet the most common meaning of arbitrary is “existing or coming about seemingly at random or by chance or as a capricious and unreasonable act of will,” which seems to be quite a bit different in meaning from the other two words. Arbitrary does indeed come from the same Latin root, and its oldest meaning in English was “depending on choice or discretion particularly regarding the decision of a judge or a tribunal.” But over time it developed additional senses that are somewhat removed from that initial meaning.

Examples of arbitration in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web The other was dismissed after being sent to arbitration, and terms of its resolution were not part of the public record. Jeff McDonald, San Diego Union-Tribune, 14 Mar. 2024 According to the arbitration filing, Ascential provided him with a $1.5 million discretionary fund budget paid upfront each year to MEK, Inc. to net him $950,000 after taxes, which is allegedly still in effect following MediaLink’s sale to UTA. Winston Cho, The Hollywood Reporter, 13 Mar. 2024 In an explosive arbitration filing that surfaced Tuesday, Kassan alleged UTA, which snatched up his marketing consultancy, MediaLink, for $125 million in late 2021, had undermined the business since his arrival. Brian Steinberg, Variety, 13 Mar. 2024 Garcia’s two-year contract means the slugger will have one more year of arbitration eligibility in 2026. Lawrence Dow, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 8 Feb. 2024 As part of the new $1 million deal in the arbitration case, Spacey has agreed to testify in the insurance case, hand over his medical records, and be examined by doctors from both sides. Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 7 Feb. 2024 Thursday’s arbitration decision means Chisholm will earn $2.625 million in 2024. Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 2 Feb. 2024 The document states that both parties, Vergara and Reside, allegedly agreed to settle any disputes privately through arbitration, but instead Reside chose to file a lawsuit anyway. Mackenzie Schmidt, Peoplemag, 30 Jan. 2024 Last year, the pair headed back to litigation, this time after Linda initiated arbitration proceedings that aimed to remove someone from the board of directors of Ramones Productions. Bill Donahue, Billboard, 25 Jan. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'arbitration.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English arbitracioun, borrowed from Anglo-French arbitracion, borrowed from Latin arbitrātiōn-, arbitrātiō, from arbitrārī "to consider, judge, arbitrate" + -tiōn-, -tiō, suffix of verbal action

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of arbitration was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near arbitration

Cite this Entry

“Arbitration.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/arbitration. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

arbitration

noun
ar·​bi·​tra·​tion ˌär-bə-ˈtrā-shən How to pronounce arbitration (audio)
: the act of arbitrating
especially : the settling of a dispute in which both sides present their arguments to a third person or group for settlement

Legal Definition

arbitration

noun
ar·​bi·​tra·​tion ˌär-bə-ˈtrā-shən How to pronounce arbitration (audio)
: the process of resolving a dispute (as between labor and management) or a grievance outside of the court system by presenting it to an impartial third party or panel for a decision that may or may not be binding compare mediation
final offer arbitration
: interest arbitration in which the arbitrator must accept or reject the final offer of any party and may not decide to compromise
grievance arbitration
: arbitration of a dispute over something in an existing collective bargaining agreement

called also rights arbitration

compare interest arbitration in this entry
interest arbitration
: arbitration of a dispute over the provisions to be entered in a new contract compare grievance arbitration in this entry
rights arbitration
: grievance arbitration in this entry
arbitrational adjective
Etymology

Latin arbitratio, from arbitrari to judge, arbitrate, from arbiter onlooker, arbitrator

More from Merriam-Webster on arbitration

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