officiate
verb
of·fi·ci·ate
ə-ˈfi-shē-ˌāt 
officiated; officiating
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)
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
Examples of officiate in a Sentence
The bishop officiated the memorial Mass.
Two referees officiated the hockey game.
Recent Examples on the Web
The pair tied the knot in April 2023 in a wedding officiated by Kim Kardashian, and they were serenaded by country superstar Shania Twain.
—
Ilana Kaplan, PEOPLE, 20 Oct. 2025
Much of the controversy surrounds how the play is officiated, with the Eagles’ offensive line often getting a split-second head start on the snap.
—Saad Yousuf, New York Times, 19 Oct. 2025
The league has made officiating the play a point of emphasis, and it might be called even more tightly after the Eagles ran it four plays in a row against the Giants.
—Jordan Sigler, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 Oct. 2025
She’s officiated nine years in the G-League, working each of the last three G-League Finals, has worked each of the last four WNBA postseasons and referred men’s and women’s games in the 2024 Paris Olympics.
—Jace Frederick, Twin Cities, 15 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for officiate
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Ilana Kaplan, PEOPLE, 20 Oct. 2025
Much of the controversy surrounds how the play is officiated, with the Eagles’ offensive line often getting a split-second head start on the snap.
—Saad Yousuf, New York Times, 19 Oct. 2025
The league has made officiating the play a point of emphasis, and it might be called even more tightly after the Eagles ran it four plays in a row against the Giants.
—Jordan Sigler, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 Oct. 2025
She’s officiated nine years in the G-League, working each of the last three G-League Finals, has worked each of the last four WNBA postseasons and referred men’s and women’s games in the 2024 Paris Olympics.
—Jace Frederick, Twin Cities, 15 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for officiate
Cite this Entry
“Officiate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/officiate. Accessed 22 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationKids 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
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