ref

noun

\ˈref

\

Definition of ref

(Entry 1 of 2)

: a referee in a game or sport

ref

abbreviation

Definition of ref (Entry 2 of 2)

1 reference

2 refunding

Examples of ref in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

The ref let M’Baye Niang on, who lit the jets to touch it past, and that was that, the winning goal. — Tim Bannon, chicagotribune.com, "World Cup winners and losers, Week 2: Burger King, own goals, Fox, flaming wallet and more," 25 June 2018 Curry appeared to claim that a fan shouted at the ref, not West. — Andrew Joseph, For The Win, "David West somehow got a technical while riding a stationary bike in the tunnel," 22 Apr. 2018 When Kevin Durant drove the lane on the next Warriors possession, LeBron slid over to take the contact, and the refs initially called a charge. — Andrew Sharp, SI.com, "An Inexplicable Calls Stains a Legendary NBA Finals Thriller," 1 June 2018 And no doubt being fouled more often than the refs are calling. — Chris Fedor, cleveland.com, "Cleveland Cavaliers identify, ban fan indefinitely after racial slur toward Spurs' Patty Mills," 27 Feb. 2018 These days, refs mark out the distance, intended to reduce the baby-stepping wall participants once did to inch closer to the ball. — Bloomberg.com, "A Guide to the World Cup When You Know Nothing About Soccer," 26 June 2018 Seismic instruments in Zagreb picked up tremors after Mandzukic scored his goal, and after the ref blew the final whistle to end the game. — Sean Gregory, Time, "32 Teams Entered, 2 Remain. Your Ultimate Guide to the World Cup Final," 13 July 2018 Being a ref doesn't create the same reaction as her intern days. — Candace Buckner, chicagotribune.com, "From NBA summer league intern to referee: Lauren Niemiera makes the calls," 10 July 2018 Most teams have a player or two -- or three -- who'll flop and preen and play-act like babies, hoping to get a little help from the ref. — Steve Almasy, CNN, "Who should you root for in the World Cup when your country isn't even in it," 13 June 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'ref.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Statistics for ref

Last Updated

14 Oct 2018

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Time Traveler for ref

The first known use of ref was in 1890

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More Definitions for ref

ref

noun

English Language Learners Definition of ref

: a referee in a game or sport

See the full definition for ref in the English Language Learners Dictionary

ref

noun

\ˈref

\

Kids Definition of ref

: referee entry 1 sense 1

WORD OF THE DAY

de rigueur

required by fashion, etiquette, or custom

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