ref·er·ee
ˌre-fə-ˈrē 
1
: one to whom a thing is referred: such as
a
: a person to whom a legal matter is referred for investigation and report or for settlement
b
: a person who reviews a paper and especially a technical paper and recommends that it should or should not be published
c
chiefly British
: reference sense 4a
2
: a sports official usually having final authority in administering a game
refereed; refereeing
1
: to conduct (a match or game) as referee
2
a
: to arbitrate (something, such as a legal matter) as a judge or third party
b
: to review (something, such as a technical paper) before publication
: to act as a referee
Examples of referee in a Sentence
Noun
served as the unofficial referee in disputes over the family business
Verb
She refereed the basketball game.
He has refereed for several years now.
Recent Examples on the Web
Tim Reynolds, Chicago Tribune, 2 June 2026
The ruling by judge trial referee Carl Schuman grants Harrison Amadasun’s request for a declaratory judgment and denies the Armstrong request for one.
—Staff Report, Hartford Courant, 1 June 2026
Sebastian Stafford-Bloor, New York Times, 25 May 2026
Clark later walked over to referee Jason Alabanza and appeared to engage in a verbal spat.
—Jackson Thompson Outkick, FOXNews.com, 14 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for referee
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Noun
Players covering their mouth with a hand, arm or shirt will be given red cards if referees deem it not to be a friendly conversation, FIFA said.
—Tim Reynolds, Chicago Tribune, 2 June 2026
The ruling by judge trial referee Carl Schuman grants Harrison Amadasun’s request for a declaratory judgment and denies the Armstrong request for one.
—Staff Report, Hartford Courant, 1 June 2026
Verb
Rather, the extensive injuries and controversial refereeing decisions conspired to make a very bad situation, years in the making, much, much worse.
—Sebastian Stafford-Bloor, New York Times, 25 May 2026
Clark later walked over to referee Jason Alabanza and appeared to engage in a verbal spat.
—Jackson Thompson Outkick, FOXNews.com, 14 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for referee
Cite this Entry
“Referee.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/referee. Accessed 3 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
referee
1 of 2 noun
ref·er·ee
ˌref-ə-ˈrē
1
: a person to whom something that is to be investigated or decided is referred
2
: a sports official usually having final authority in conducting a game
referee
2 of 2 verb
refereed; refereeing
: to conduct as a referee
Legal Definition
referee
noun
ref·er·ee
ˌre-fə-ˈrē
: an officer appointed by a court or quasi-judicial body (as a workers' compensation board) to investigate a case, report findings, and often to make orders subject to review
the board may affirm, reverse, modify or supplement the order of the referee—Oregon Revised Statutes
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