referee

1 of 2

noun

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: a person who reviews a paper and especially a technical paper and recommends that it should or should not be published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

referee

2 of 2

verb

refereed; refereeing

transitive verb

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

intransitive verb

: to act as a referee

Synonyms

Noun

• adjudicator
• arbiter
• arbitrator
• judge
• umpire

Verb

• adjudge
• adjudicate
• arbitrate
• decide
• determine
• judge
• rule (on)
• settle
• umpire

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

Noun

The Federal Trade Commission’s charge was to function as a kind of referee, allowing businesses to compete, succeed, and fail but all within the broad guidelines of fairness. —Roger Valdez, Forbes, 6 Dec. 2024

He was promoted to referee in 1989, following the retirement of long-time official Fred Silva. —Josh Hammer, Newsweek, 3 Dec. 2024

Verb

Too many coaches want to referee the entire game instead of coaching their team. —James L. Edwards Iii, The Athletic, 24 Nov. 2024

Moyer-Gleich will soon become only the second woman in NBA history to referee a playoff game. —Tim Reynolds, San Diego Union-Tribune, 18 Apr. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1549, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1883, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

Kids 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