officiate

1 of 2

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

officiation

2 of 2

noun

of·​fi·​ci·​a·​tion

plural -s

: the act or term of officiating : performance of a ceremony

no provisions for a civil marriage, hence some kind of religious officiation is obligatory

—Alfred Werner

Examples of officiate in a Sentence

Verb

The bishop officiated the memorial Mass.

Two referees officiated the hockey game.

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

Here, a very dear, longtime local friend officiated the service with just a few attendees which included a blacktip reef shark and a colony of marine iguanas. — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 30 Sep. 2026

The league formed an offseason officiating task force that included an effort to clean up some of the WNBA’s issues regarding physicality and officiating. — Ryan Gaydos Outkick, FOXNews.com, 30 Sep. 2026

And guard and team leader Robert Hunt told reporters afterward that this officiating crew in particular is quick to call unnecsssary roughness. — Alex Zietlow, Charlotte Observer, 28 Sep. 2026

According to the newspaper, the campground’s general manager, Stacey Saunders, officiated the ceremony. — Bailey Richards, PEOPLE, 28 Sep. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Verb

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

Verb

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