officiate

verb

of·​fi·​ci·​ate ə-ˈfi-shē-ˌāt 

officiated; officiating

intransitive verb

1

: to perform a ceremony, function, or duty

officiate at a wedding

2

: to act in an official capacity : act as an official (as at a sports contest)

transitive verb

1

: to carry out (an official duty or function)

2

: to serve as a leader or celebrant of (a ceremony)

3

: to administer the rules of (a game or sport) especially as a referee or umpire

officiation

ə-ˌfi-shē-ˈā-shən 

noun

Examples of officiate in a Sentence

The bishop officiated the memorial Mass.

Two referees officiated the hockey game.

Recent Examples on the Web

The San Francisco mayor officiated his wedding in 2020. —Naheed Rajwani-Dharsi, Axios, 18 Dec. 2024

The next morning, ahead of their ceremony — which was officiated by one of Blaney's best friends, Kevin Coleman — the bride and groom privately exchanged vows. —Ashlyn Robinette, People.com, 13 Dec. 2024

Witnesses told Reuters that the chaos started after the referee officiating the game sent off a player in the dying minutes, sparking outrage and stone-pelting from angry fans. —Kathleen Magramo, CNN, 2 Dec. 2024

Nonetheless, to his credit, Hedrick did not complain about officiating. —Staff Reports, Orlando Sentinel, 29 Nov. 2024

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Medieval Latin officiātus, past participle of officiāre "to perform a function, perform priestly duties," going back to Late Latin officiārī "to perform a function," derivative of Latin officium "duty, office"

First Known Use

1623, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

Kids Definition

officiate

verb

of·​fi·​ci·​ate ə-ˈfish-ē-ˌāt 

officiated; officiating

1

: to perform a ceremony

officiate at a wedding

2

: to act as an officer

officiated at the annual meeting

3

: to enforce the rules of (a game or sport)

officiate a soccer match