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 humorist Dave Barry, a friend of Turow’s for some 30 years and his bandmate in the writers’ rock group the Rock Bottom Remainders, officiated. —Sarah Lyall, New York Times, 23 Jan. 2025

Nothing supporting this conspiracy theory gets more attention than officiating. —Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 22 Jan. 2025

Hurley’s rant about officiating dominated his 15-minute postgame press conference, a venting session after an intense game, which was made closer as Butler shot 15 free throws to UConn’s six in the second half. —Joe Arruda, Hartford Courant, 22 Jan. 2025

In response, former NFL officiating chief Walt Anderson defended the calls, explaining that such penalties are part of the league's evolving focus on player safety. —Justin Gest, Newsweek, 20 Jan. 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