arbitration

ar-bih-TRAY-shun

meaning in plain English

When two sides can't agree on something, they let a neutral person decide for them instead of fighting or going to court.

for example

After months of arguing over the price, the neighbors finally agreed to let a professional handle the arbitration and settle the dispute once and for all.

Imagine you and your sibling both want the last slice of pizza but can't agree who deserves it. Instead of breaking the pizza in half and risking an unfair split, you ask your mom to step in and make the call through arbitration—she listens to both sides and picks who gets it.