officiate
verb
of·fi·ci·ate
ə-ˈfi-shē-ˌāt 
officiated; officiating
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)
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
Examples of officiate in a Sentence
The bishop officiated the memorial Mass.
Two referees officiated the hockey game.
Recent Examples on the Web
The mayor officiated the couple’s wedding, and Shim emceed their child’s first birthday party.
—
Max Kim, Los Angeles Times, 22 Apr. 2024
The couple's eldest son Mike Manna officiated their ceremony.
—Esme Mazzeo, Peoplemag, 16 Apr. 2024
The Mountain West is finalizing a deal to join the Big Ten’s basketball officiating consortium, several sources inside and outside the conference confirmed.
—Mark Zeigler, San Diego Union-Tribune, 12 Apr. 2024
The Solar Eclipse Mass Wedding Ceremony on Monday was officiated by Mayor Ryan Perry.
—Minnah Arshad, USA TODAY, 9 Apr. 2024
The Akron Municipal Court is offering a free eclipse wedding, officiated by Akron Municipal Court Judge David Hamilton at Cascade Locks Park, for the winners of its essay contest.
—Devorah Lev-Tov, New York Times, 4 Apr. 2024
West Plains resident Paige Davis officiated the ceremony, along with at least four others throughout the morning and early afternoon leading up to the eclipse.
—Minnah Arshad, USA TODAY, 9 Apr. 2024
In Trenton, Mayor Ryan Perry officiated a mass wedding for couples who wanted to make their special day more special.
—Dan Horn, The Enquirer, 8 Apr. 2024
Paulson's partner, Holland Taylor, 81, officiated the wedding.
—Gabrielle Rockson, Peoplemag, 5 Apr. 2024
Max Kim, Los Angeles Times, 22 Apr. 2024
The couple's eldest son Mike Manna officiated their ceremony.
—Esme Mazzeo, Peoplemag, 16 Apr. 2024
The Mountain West is finalizing a deal to join the Big Ten’s basketball officiating consortium, several sources inside and outside the conference confirmed.
—Mark Zeigler, San Diego Union-Tribune, 12 Apr. 2024
The Solar Eclipse Mass Wedding Ceremony on Monday was officiated by Mayor Ryan Perry.
—Minnah Arshad, USA TODAY, 9 Apr. 2024
The Akron Municipal Court is offering a free eclipse wedding, officiated by Akron Municipal Court Judge David Hamilton at Cascade Locks Park, for the winners of its essay contest.
—Devorah Lev-Tov, New York Times, 4 Apr. 2024
West Plains resident Paige Davis officiated the ceremony, along with at least four others throughout the morning and early afternoon leading up to the eclipse.
—Minnah Arshad, USA TODAY, 9 Apr. 2024
In Trenton, Mayor Ryan Perry officiated a mass wedding for couples who wanted to make their special day more special.
—Dan Horn, The Enquirer, 8 Apr. 2024
Paulson's partner, Holland Taylor, 81, officiated the wedding.
—Gabrielle Rockson, Peoplemag, 5 Apr. 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.
Dictionary Entries Near officiate
Cite this Entry
“Officiate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/officiate. Accessed 26 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
officiate
verb
of·fi·ci·ate
ə-ˈfish-ē-ˌāt
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
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