as in umpire
a person who impartially decides or resolves a dispute or controversy
served as the unofficial referee in disputes over the family business
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
as in to decide
to give an opinion about (something at issue or in dispute)
their father usually ends up refereeing any disputes concerning use of the big TV
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of referee
Jace Frederick, Twin Cities, 23 May 2025
When a player is fined, the NBA puts each dollar for a technical foul, ejection, slur, inappropriate comment to a referee or a suspension toward a charity.
—James Jackson, New York Times, 22 May 2025
Janine Henni, People.com, 11 Mar. 2025
The club said in a statement to Local 10 that referees and parents attempted lifesaving measures but were unsuccessful.
—Karen Fratti, People.com, 30 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for referee
Noun
Then Denver coach Michael Malone went nose to nose in a yelling match with referee Marc Davis.
—Jace Frederick, Twin Cities, 23 May 2025
When a player is fined, the NBA puts each dollar for a technical foul, ejection, slur, inappropriate comment to a referee or a suspension toward a charity.
—James Jackson, New York Times, 22 May 2025
Verb
Participants will learn how to referee grassroots games efficiently in a program for individuals over age 14 who hope to referee mini football, 9v9 and 11v11 games.
—Janine Henni, People.com, 11 Mar. 2025
The club said in a statement to Local 10 that referees and parents attempted lifesaving measures but were unsuccessful.
—Karen Fratti, People.com, 30 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for referee
Recent Examples of Synonyms for referee
Noun
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The game was delayed 18 minutes, first for the umpires to deliberate on what the proper ruling would be, then to clear the field of debris thrown from the Rogers Centre stands.—
Tim Britton,
New York Times,
30 May 2025
-
The umpire ruled that the out at third was recorded before the run had crossed the plate, but video of the play appeared to show otherwise.—
John Maffei,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
28 May 2025
Verb
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As mentioned above, there are myriad factors—international transportation bottlenecks, natural disasters and supplier insolvency, among others—that need to be considered simultaneously in real time to decide what’s best for the business.—
Sadagopan S,
Forbes.com,
29 May 2025
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But given a chance to keep the cash that Biden had sent the State flowing, Trump has decided to throttle it back.—
Philip Elliott,
Time,
29 May 2025
Noun
-
Council members haven’t had the power to vote for or against their own pay raises since a 2018 ballot measure that tied their compensation — including any raises — directly to the salaries of state Superior Court judges.—
David Garrick,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
26 May 2025
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This has been observed across various settings, from judges giving less favorable rulings later in the day to professionals like nurses and air traffic controllers showing reduced cognitive sharpness when mentally depleted.—
Mark Travers,
Forbes.com,
26 May 2025
Verb
-
Instead, the zoning dispute will be settled in court.—
Matthew Kelly,
Kansas City Star,
28 May 2025
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Those CBAs also require that should there be a dispute as to whether the league, a club, a union, or a player abided by their obligations under the CBA, such dispute be settled through a confidential arbitration process.—
Chris Deubert,
Forbes.com,
28 May 2025
Verb
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Cohen said this would help determine if vehicles had any missing parts before the tow, a seeming nod to the news organizations’ story about a DMV employee who the agency’s investigators found schemed with a towing company to undervalue vehicles and sell them for thousands in profit.—
Ginny Monk,
Hartford Courant,
1 June 2025
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Phone surveys, electronic health records and the Social Security Death Index were used to determine whether cardiac events or deaths from any cause had occurred up to one year after hospital discharge.—
American Heart Association News,
Boston Herald,
1 June 2025
Verb
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That letter decried the role of the ECtHR in adjudicating matters related to deportation and surveillance of migrants, among other matters.—
Frey Lindsay,
Forbes.com,
26 May 2025
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The federal bureaucracy will have to expand drastically to adjudicate the 3.5 million children born here every year.—
James Thomas Snyder,
Mercury News,
24 May 2025
Verb
-
Peru could not reconcile herself to the cession of Peruvian territory, but offered to arbitrate the question of indemnities and other questions arising out of the war.—
Edwin M. Borchard,
Foreign Affairs,
7 Oct. 2011
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That means agents must arbitrate claims against a player for unpaid commissions, but could sue them in court for any other aspect of their relationship.—
Chris Deubert,
Forbes.com,
6 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Referee.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/referee. Accessed 6 Jun. 2025.
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