Properly, to distinguish, i.e. Decide (mentally or judicially); by implication, to try, condemn, punish -- avenge, conclude, condemn, damn, decree, determine, esteem, judge, go to (sue at the) law, ordain, call in question, sentence to, think.
1. to separate, put asunder; to pick out, select, choose (Homer, Herodotus, Aeschylus, Sophocles, Xenophon, Plato, others; μετά νεανίσκων ἀρίστων κεκριμένων (chosen, picked), 2 Macc. 13:15; κεκρίμενοι ἄρχοντες, Josephus, Antiquities 11, 3, 10); hence,
2. to approve, esteem: ἡμέραν παῥ ἡμέραν, one day above another, i. e. to prefer (see παρά, III. 2 b.), Romans 14:5 (so τί πρό τίνος, Plato, Phil., p. 57 e.; τόν Ἀπολλῶ πρό Μαρσυου, rep. 3, p. 399{e}.); πᾶσαν ἡμέραν, to esteem every day, i. e. hold it sacred, ibid.
3. to be of opinion, deem, think: ὀρθῶς ἔκρινας, thou hast decided (judged) correctly, Luke 7:43; followed by an infinitive Acts 15:19; followed by a direct question, 1 Corinthians 11:13; τοῦτο, ὅτι etc. to be of opinion etc. 2 Corinthians 5:14; followed by the accusative with an infinitive Acts 16:15; τινα or τί followed by a predicate accusative, κρίνειν τινα ἄξιον τίνος, to judge one (to be) worthy of a thing, Acts 13:46; ἄπιστον κρίνεται, Acts 26:8.
4. to determine, resolve, decree: τί, 1 Corinthians 7:37 (κρῖναι τί καί πρόθεσθαι, Polybius 3, 6, 7; τό κρίθεν, which one has determined on, one's resolve, 5, 52, 6; 9, 13, 7; τοῖς κριθεισι ἐμμένειν δεῖ, Epictetus diss. 2, 15, 7ff); δόγματα, passive (the decrees that had been ordained (cf. A. V.)), Acts 16:4; τοῦτο κρίνατε, followed by an infinitive preceded by the article τό, Romans 14:13; also with ἐμαυτῷ added, for myself i. e. for my own benefit (lest I should prepare grief for myself by being compelled to grieve you), 2 Corinthians 2:1; followed by an infinitive, Acts 20:16; Acts 25:25; 1 Corinthians 2:2 G L T Tr WH ((see below)); 5. to judge; a. to pronounce an opinion concerning right and wrong; α. in a forensic sense ((differing from δικάζειν, the official term, in giving prominence to the intellectual process, the sifting and weighing of evidence)), of a human judge: τινα, to give a decision respecting one, John 7:51; κατά τόν νόμον, John 18:31; Acts 23:3; Acts 24:6 Rec.; the substance of the decision is added in an infinitive, Acts 3:13; passive to be judged, i. e. summoned to trial that one's case may be examined and judgment passed upon it, Acts 25:10; Acts 26:6; Romans 3:4 (from Psalm 50:6 b. to pronounce judgment; to subject to censure; of those who act the part of judges or arbiters in the matters of common life, or pass judgment on the deeds and words of others: universally, and without case, John 8:16, 26; κατά τί, John 8:15; κατ' ὄψιν, John 7:24; ἐν κρίματι τίνι κρίνειν, Matthew 7:2; τινα, passive (with the nominative of person), Romans 3:7; ἐκ τοῦ στόματος σου κρίνω σε, out of thine own mouth (i. e. from what thou hast just said) will I take the judgment that must be passed on thee, Luke 19:22; τί, 1 Corinthians 10:15; passive, 1 Corinthians 10:29; τό δίκαιον, Luke 12:57; followed by εἰ, whether, Acts 4:19; with the accusative of the substance of the judgment: τί i. e. κρίσιν τινα, 1 Corinthians 4:5; κρίσιν κρίνειν (Plato, rep. 2, p. 360 d.) δικαίαν (cf. Buttmann, § 131, 5), John 7:24 (ἀληθινήν καί δικαίαν, Tobit 3:2; κρίσεις ἀδίκους, Susanna 53); of the disciplinary judgment to which Christians subject the conduct of their fellows, passing censure upon them as the facts require, 1 Corinthians 5:12; of those who judge severely (unfairly), finding fault with this or that in others, Matthew 7:1; Luke 6:37; Romans 2:1; τινα, Romans 2:1, 3; Romans 14:3f, 10, 13; followed by ἐν with the dative of the thing, Colossians 2:16; Romans 14:22; hence equivalent to to condemn: Romans 2:27; James 4:11f. 6. Hebraistically equivalent to to rule, govern; to preside over with the power of giving judicial decisions, because it was the prerogative of kings and rulers to pass judgment: Matthew 19:28; Luke 22:30 (τόν λαόν, 2 Kings 15:5; 1 Macc. 9:73; Josephus, Antiquities 5, 3, 3; οἱ κρίνοντες τήν γῆν, Psalm 2:10; Sap. i. 1; cf. Gesenius, Thesaurus, iii., p. 1463f). 7. Passive and middle to contend together, of warriors and combatants (Homer, Diodorus, others); to dispute (Herodotus 3, 120; Aristophanes nub. 66); in a forensic sense, to go to law, have a suit at law: with the dative of the person with whom (Winer's Grammar, § 31, 1 g.), Matthew 5:40 (Job 9:3; Job 13:19; Euripides, Med. 609); followed by μετά with the genitive of the person with whom one goes to law, and ἐπί; with the genitive of the judge, 1 Corinthians 6: (1), 6. (Compare: ἀνακρίνω, ἀποκρίνω, ἀνταποκρίνω (ἀνταποκρίνομαι), διακρίνω, ἐνκρίνω, ἐπικρίνω, κατακρίνω, συνκρίνω, ὑποκρίνω (ὑποκρίνομαι), συνυποκρίνω (συνυποκρίνομαι).)