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: a person who reviews a paper and especially a technical paper and recommends that it should or should not be published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
refereed; refereeing
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
: to act as a referee
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
Tyler Erzberger, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 Dec. 2025
The referees ended the game immediately, and it was never finished.
—Christopher Harris, CBS News, 10 Dec. 2025
Roshane Thomas, New York Times, 12 Dec. 2025
Wyatt Earp, before his death in 1929, would sometimes come in for a drink after refereeing nearby boxing matches held in the area.
—Chris Kenning, USA Today, 25 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for referee
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Noun
The last time the two sides couldn’t come to an agreement resulted in the 2012 debacle with replacement referees, where multiple late-game decisions were bungled due to the inexperience of the substitutes.
—Tyler Erzberger, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 Dec. 2025
The referees ended the game immediately, and it was never finished.
—Christopher Harris, CBS News, 10 Dec. 2025
Verb
Having won the competition 11 years prior as a player, Bonds was determined to secure silverware as a manager, but a controversial refereeing decision prevented them from doing so.
—Roshane Thomas, New York Times, 12 Dec. 2025
Wyatt Earp, before his death in 1929, would sometimes come in for a drink after refereeing nearby boxing matches held in the area.
—Chris Kenning, USA Today, 25 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for referee
Cite this Entry
“Referee.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/referee. Accessed 18 Dec. 2025.
Copy CitationKids 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
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