arbitration

[ahr-bi-trey-shuhn]

noun

1. the hearing and determining of a dispute or the settling of differences between parties by a person or persons chosen or agreed to by them.

   Rather than risk a long strike, the union and management agreed to arbitration.

2. International Law.,  the application of judicial methods to the settlement of international disputes.

arbitration

/ ˌɑːbɪˈtreɪʃən /

noun

1. law the hearing and determination of a dispute, esp an industrial dispute, by an impartial referee selected or agreed upon by the parties concerned

2. international law the procedure laid down for the settlement of international disputes

arbitration

1. The settling of disputes (especially labor disputes) between two parties by an impartial third party, whose decision the contending parties agree to accept. Arbitration is often used to resolve conflict diplomatically to prevent a more serious confrontation.

Other Word Forms

• arbitrational adjective
• arbitrationist noun
• proarbitration adjective
• proarbitrationist noun
• rearbitration noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of arbitration¹

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Latin arbitrātiōn- (stem of arbitrātiō ), equivalent to arbitrāt(us) ( arbitrate ) + -iōn- noun suffix; -ion

Synonym Study

See mediation.

Example Sentences

Mr Lesosky told the outlet that further strikes would be illegal, and that wage disputes would likely be resolved at arbitration while the other parts of the agreement moved forward.

From BBC

The union also rejected an order by the Canadian government to enter binding arbitration and return to work over the weekend, accusing it of "caving to corporate pressure".

From BBC

The Canadian government quickly stepped in Saturday morning, shutting down the strike by imposing binding arbitration and forcing the flight attendants back to work.

From Los Angeles Times

Government representatives had facilitated some of the negotiations already, but the carrier went further and asked Canada's jobs minister, Patty Hajdu, to refer the matter for binding arbitration.

From BBC

She also said in a statement that Air Canada had asked her to refer the dispute to binding arbitration.

From BBC

Related Words

• adjudication 
• compromise 
• mediation 

When To Use

What does arbitration mean?

Arbitration is a process in which two parties in a dispute use an independent, impartial third party to settle the dispute, often by making a decision that they both agree to.For a process to be considered arbitration, it must involve an impartial third party, which can be a single person or a team of people. This person or team is called an arbitrator. To act as this arbitrator is to arbitrate. Arbitrate can also mean to engage in arbitration, as in If we can’t come to an agreement, we may need to arbitrate.The term arbitration is especially used in the context of negotiations between businesses and labor unions. When the two sides can’t agree and negotiations are unproductive, they may seek to pursue arbitration by bringing in an arbitrator.An arbitration process in which the arbitrator’s decision must be accepted by both parties is sometimes called binding arbitration—meaning the arbitrator’s decision is final and legally binding.Example: After weeks of negotiations stalled and resulted in an impasse, the two sides agreed to enter arbitration.