referee

1 of 2

noun

ref·​er·​ee ˌre-fə-ˈrē How to pronounce referee (audio)
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: a person who reviews a paper and especially a technical paper and recommends that it should or should not be published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

referee

2 of 2

verb

refereed; refereeing

transitive verb

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

intransitive verb

: 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
Noun
That was the consensus opinion of everybody not on the officiating crew headed by Mexican referee Katia García. Austin Knoblauch, Los Angeles Times, 8 Mar. 2024 The 20-year-old Bellingham looked to have scored the winning goal with a header deep into stoppage at the Mestalla Stadium, but referee Gil Manzano had blown the whistle for full-time shortly before the ball had been crossed. George Ramsay, CNN, 3 Mar. 2024 And in that analogy, Edwards usually has the arm the referee raises at the end of the bout. Jace Frederick, Twin Cities, 2 Mar. 2024 Cristian Campo Hernandez, who worked some MLS Next Pro and USL Championship games last season — as well as some women's college soccer matches last fall — was the referee Wednesday night. Tim Reynolds, USA TODAY, 21 Feb. 2024 Days later, as the full idiocy of what had occurred between officials was revealed that detailed how video assistants communicated the wrong decision to the referee robbing Liverpool of a goal emerged, Klopp went further than anyone was expecting. Zak Garner-Purkis, Forbes, 18 Feb. 2024 His death was first announced on social media by longtime friend and former wrestling referee Mark Charles III. Sean Neumann, Peoplemag, 28 Feb. 2024 After the game, referee Ed Molloy, the crew chief for the game, acknowledged the incorrect call in a pool report. Jeff Zillgitt, USA TODAY, 23 Feb. 2024 When McCracken punches the referee in the head during the championship game after a melee breaks out, the Charlestown Chiefs, led by player-coach Reggie Dunlop (Paul Newman), are awarded the title by forfeit. Mike Barnes, The Hollywood Reporter, 21 Feb. 2024
Verb
The clip above reveals audio from players, coaches, and referees right before a defensive stop by the Chiefs. USA TODAY, 14 Feb. 2024 After 42 years and more than 2,000 games refereeing high school and college basketball, including five state championships and two NCAA championship games, John Yorkovich of Stillwater is retiring at season’s end. Charley Walters, Twin Cities, 10 Feb. 2024 Animal lovers can expect to see Whistle refereeing most of Puppy Bowl 2024 from Schachner's arms. Kelli Bender, Peoplemag, 5 Feb. 2024 Taylor Swift has a bit of bad blood with the NFL officials refereeing Travis Kelce's game on Sunday. Bailey Richards, Peoplemag, 17 Dec. 2023 Fans are now flocking to the platform to encourage its chief technology officer, as well as offering training advice and making suggestions about who should referee the match. Eleanor Pringle, Fortune, 22 June 2023 In Week 1, referees flagged Jackson for unnecessary roughness on a helmet-to-helmet hit on Las Vegas Raiders receiver Jakobi Meyers. Chantz Martin, Fox News, 25 Oct. 2023 Examples of the latter ran rampant on social media this month, as celebrities attempted to referee a brutal conflict that has reportedly killed hundreds of civilians on both sides of the Israel-Gaza Strip border. Samantha Chery, Washington Post, 25 Oct. 2023 One of the agency’s roles is to referee shareholder meetings by keeping ... Michael Ross, National Review, 4 Aug. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'referee.' 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

1549, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1883, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

Time Traveler
The first known use of referee was in 1549

Dictionary Entries Near referee

Cite this Entry

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

Kids Definition

referee

1 of 2 noun
ref·​er·​ee ˌref-ə-ˈrē How to pronounce referee (audio)
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 How to pronounce referee (audio)
: 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 refereeOregon Revised Statutes

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