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

After calling only 34 fouls in Game 4, the referees officiated Game 5 much more tightly. —Peter Sblendorio, New York Daily News, 30 Apr. 2025

Bishops, priests, cardinals, archbishops and patriarchs from around the world will officiate the service. —Gabriele Regalbuto, FOXNews.com, 23 Apr. 2025

On March 29, the Rev. Jerry Brzezinski, a Roman Catholic priest, officiated before 22 guests, at Saints Peter & Paul Jesuit Church in Detroit. —Rosalie R. Radomsky, New York Times, 11 Apr. 2025

But a delay in the officiating process late in Q1 in Bahrain on Saturday had significant consequences, and not for the driver who triggered another track-limits furor. —Madeline Coleman, New York Times, 13 Apr. 2025

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

• abbreviate
• accelerate
• accommodate
• accumulate
• acuminate
• adjudicate
• adulterate
• affiliate
• agglomerate
• agglutinate
• alleviate
• amalgamate

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