officiate

verb

of·​fi·​ci·​ate ə-ˈfi-shē-ˌāt 

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

ə-ˌfi-shē-ˈā-shən 

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 couple's nuptials were officiated by Light's brother Taylor and the bride and groom wrote their own vows. —Escher Walcott, Peoplemag, 16 July 2024

Catcher Tomas Nido tried to tell the officiating crew that the pitcher had not said anything. —Abbey Mastracco, New York Daily News, 29 May 2024

Their wedding was officiated by the vessel’s captain after setting sail in the Caribbean. —Angel Saunders, Peoplemag, 3 July 2024

Chatfield, who grew up in Prospect, is also a justice of the peace with many weddings to officiate this time of year. —Pamela McLoughlin, Hartford Courant, 17 June 2024

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

Kids 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