officiate

verb

of·​fi·​ci·​ate ə-ˈfi-shē-ˌāt How to pronounce officiate (audio)
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 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 officiating crew included Mike Littlewood, the former BYU baseball coach. Mark Zeigler, San Diego Union-Tribune, 28 Feb. 2024 The wedding was officiated by Sheri Salata, the former co-president of Oprah Winfrey Network, and featured 220 guests, including their longtime friend Oprah Winfrey, Rachael Ray, Katie Lee, Rebecca Minkoff, Irene Neuwirth, Busy Philipps and Elizabeth Hendrickson from The Young and the Restless. Kelsie Gibson, Peoplemag, 27 Feb. 2024 The game was officiated tightly as both teams had players in foul trouble, even before halftime, and the flow was almost non-existent because of the whistles. Darren Sabedra, The Mercury News, 25 Feb. 2024 Their union was officiated by Vice President Kamala Harris, who was then district attorney in San Francisco. Jay Valle, NBC News, 14 Feb. 2024 The ceremony was officiated by the Rev. Ronald Joseph Polrywka, better known locally as Ron DeCar. Ken Ritter, Fortune, 13 Feb. 2024 One of these fellows, Saint Valentine of Terni, allegedly officiated at secret weddings for Roman soldiers which annoyed the emperor. Lynn Yaeger, Vogue, 26 Jan. 2024 The officiating crew: Verne Harris, Gregory Nixon and Chance Moore. Mark Zeigler, San Diego Union-Tribune, 21 Feb. 2024 Center referee Tori Penso led a four-person U.S. officiating crew in the 2023 Women’s World Cup final in Australia. Kevin Baxter, Los Angeles Times, 17 Feb. 2024

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

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of officiate was in 1623

Dictionary Entries Near officiate

Cite this Entry

“Officiate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/officiate. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

officiate

verb
of·​fi·​ci·​ate ə-ˈfish-ē-ˌāt How to pronounce officiate (audio)
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

More from Merriam-Webster on officiate

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!