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 up-and-coming Americana couple’s wedding was just a few months away, and it would be officiated by none other than Snider, a fact Snider loved to brag about. —Jonathan Bernstein, Rolling Stone, 17 Nov. 2025

Actor John Waters, 79, who officiated the wedding, poses with Knoxville and Ting in a second picture. —Anna Kaufman, USA Today, 17 Nov. 2025

New strategic shifts certainly factor in, but the league is also helping offenses by dictating how the game is officiated. —Lev Akabas, Sportico.com, 14 Nov. 2025

Among the celebrity guests was Black-ish star Anthony Anderson, 55, who officiated the ceremony. —Ashlyn Robinette, PEOPLE, 12 Nov. 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