referral

noun

re·​fer·​ral ri-ˈfər-əl 

1

: the act, action, or an instance of referring

gave the patient a referral to a specialist

2

: one that is referred

Examples of referral in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The contract explained that IFG’s role was to furnish a referral to a medical clinic for the treatment of fertility and provide support services coordinating those treatments. — Megan Molteni, STAT, 2 Nov. 2026

And a Justice Department that historically pursued congressional criminal referrals regardless of their political implications is poised to ignore them under current leadership. — Los Angeles Times, 2 Nov. 2026

All of those children were known to the Department of Children and Families and had referrals for abuse or neglect. — Kaitlin McCallum, Hartford Courant, 2 Nov. 2026

Huffman would like Reddit to become less dependent on search referrals. — Scharon Harding, ArsTechnica, 29 Oct. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1790, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing referral

• self-referral

Rhymes for referral

• deferral
• epidural
• postdoctoral
• predoctoral
• neral
• squirrel

Kids Definition

referral

noun

re·​fer·​ral ri-ˈfər-əl 

: the act or an instance of referring

Medical Definition

referral

noun

re·​fer·​ral ri-ˈfər-əl 

1

: the process of directing or redirecting (as a medical case or a patient) to an appropriate specialist or agency for definitive treatment

2

: an individual that is referred

Legal Definition

referral

noun

re·​fer·​ral ri-ˈfər-əl 

: the act or an instance of referring

appealed the referral of the bill to the Budget Committee