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

While the technology assists in officiating and enhances live broadcasts, those sensors can also add uneven mass distribution that impedes a ball's movement in the air. —Eric Lagatta, USA Today, 22 June 2026

Cavinder wore a custom Galia Lahav lace princess gown and Ferguson’s former teammate Will Grier officiated the ceremony, according to GQ. —Charlotte Phillipp, PEOPLE, 22 June 2026

Tori Penso, Brooke Mayo, and Kathryn Nesbitt officiated the Czech Republic and South Africa group-stage match in the World Cup—a rare all-female trio of refs and the first where all three women are American. —Emma Hinchliffe, Fortune, 22 June 2026

Greenspan married Mitchell in 1997, with Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg officiating, and Barbara Walters and Henry Kissinger among the guests. —Ted Johnson, Deadline, 22 June 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