ref

1 of 2

noun

: a referee in a game or sport

ref

2 of 2

abbreviation

1
reference
2
refunding

Examples of ref in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
It’s understood that refs swallow their whistles more in the postseason. Danny Emerman, The Mercury News, 12 Mar. 2024 Drone footage, which was first published by The U.S. Sun, showed large crowds of co-eds sprawled out across the beach, and a fun beach boxing bout with gloves, a ref and an overexcited crowd cheering them on. Chris Eberhart, Fox News, 12 Mar. 2024 And there is always a degree of tension between players and refs. Louisa Thomas, The New Yorker, 9 Mar. 2024 Other people looked at other areas of the game where the refs did not make a call which ended up impacting the game. USA TODAY, 14 Feb. 2024 Those with information also about the child’s mother are asked to call 999 ref CAD 6876/18 Jan. Abigail Adams, Peoplemag, 26 Jan. 2024 Johnson was ejected with 13 minutes left for a flagrant 2 after he was judged to have delivered a low blow to Rutgers' Antwone Woolfolk, who was actually called for a foul on the play before the refs went to the monitor to see why Woolfolk shoved Johnson to the court. Matthew Glenesk, The Indianapolis Star, 10 Jan. 2024 But shortly after Project Mercury astronauts visited Japan in 1963, Rolex unveiled its special ref. Demetrius Simms, Robb Report, 22 Nov. 2023 Rush would talk to the jumpers, then toss mid-sentence to surprise them; Javie and current NBA ref czar Monty McCutchen would also bounce the ball while talking, randomizing their bounce height and the number of bounces to keep players guessing. Peter Rubin, Longreads, 24 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'ref.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1890, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of ref was in 1890

Dictionary Entries Near ref

Cite this Entry

“Ref.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ref. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

ref

noun
ˈref
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!