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

West Aurora also feasted at the foul line of the physical and tightly officiated battle, sinking 22 of 30 free throws, with Brooklynn Johnson going 14 for 17. —Matt Le Cren, Chicago Tribune, 18 Feb. 2025

She’s also officiated at prestigious tournaments in Texas, Washington and Virginia. —Patrick Saunders, The Denver Post, 15 Feb. 2025

Their friend David Chang, the chef, who received a one-day officiant license from the Office of the City Clerk of New York, officiated. —Valeriya Safronova, New York Times, 14 Feb. 2025

The following May, the pair officially tied the knot in a secret Italian wedding, which was officiated by Brown's Stranger Things castmate Matthew Modine. —Bailey Richards, People.com, 12 Feb. 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

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