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

She’s grown friendly with Tony Cárdenas, a client and former congressman from California, who officiated the wedding of her mentor and boss, the political consultant Chuck Rocha. — Jesús Rodríguez, New Yorker, 6 Sep. 2026

Her tenure also drew criticism over player safety, transgender eligibility and officiating, with strained labor talks and questions about her leadership. — Chuck Schilken, Los Angeles Times, 4 Sep. 2026

The league is also asking prediction markets to stop offering predictions on officiating, such as how many flags will be thrown. — Luke Barr, ABC News, 4 Sep. 2026

Players and coaches complained about inconsistent officiating, physicality and a lack of accountability. — Jon Root Outkick, FOXNews.com, 4 Sep. 2026

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

Rhymes for officiate

• abdicate
• abrogate
• acetate
• activate
• actuate
• aggravate
• agitate
• alginate
• alienate
• allocate
• amputate
• angulate

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