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 ceremony was officiated by Chris Cambas, a Christian counselor who helped the couple on their premarital journey. —Ashlyn Robinette, People.com, 7 Apr. 2025

Warriors not happy with Steph-related officiating More Curry: Warriors guard passes Rick Barry, Reggie Miller Draymond Green wasn’t the only Warrior who the team believed got the short end of the stick on Sunday night. —Joseph Dycus, Mercury News, 7 Apr. 2025

The introduction of officiating technology in Spain comes after Real Madrid’s historic win over Barcelona on Sunday was marred by a controversially disallowed goal. —Ali Rampling, New York Times, 27 Mar. 2025

The couple married in L.A. in October with R.E.M. lead singer Michael Stipe, a friend of Kurt Cobain who was the bride’s godfather, officiating the ceremony. —Kevin Dolak, The Hollywood Reporter, 20 Mar. 2025

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

Rhymes for officiate

• abbreviate
• accelerate
• accommodate
• accumulate
• acuminate
• adjudicate
• adulterate
• affiliate
• agglomerate
• agglutinate
• alleviate
• amalgamate

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