referee

1 of 2

noun

ref·​er·​ee ˌre-fə-ˈrē 

1

: one to whom a thing is referred: such as

a

: a person to whom a legal matter is referred for investigation and report or for settlement

b

: a person who reviews a paper and especially a technical paper and recommends that it should or should not be published

c

chiefly British : reference sense 4a

2

: a sports official usually having final authority in administering a game

referee

2 of 2

verb

refereed; refereeing

transitive verb

1

: to conduct (a match or game) as referee

2

a

: to arbitrate (something, such as a legal matter) as a judge or third party

b

: to review (something, such as a technical paper) before publication

intransitive verb

: to act as a referee

Synonyms of referee

Noun

• umpire
• judge

Verb

• decide
• judge
• settle
• determine
• umpire
• adjudicate
• arbitrate

Examples of referee in a Sentence

Noun

served as the unofficial referee in disputes over the family business

Verb

She refereed the basketball game.

He has refereed for several years now.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

The Real Madrid striker uses referee Danny Makkelie as a screen to get away from Isak and onto Daniel Svensson’s blind side. — Anantaajith Raghuraman, New York Times, 14 July 2026

McGregor went to the mat two more times in failed attempts to continue before the scheduled five-round match was halted by the referee. — ABC News, 13 July 2026

Verb

There were accusations that several matches have been refereed in favor of Argentina. — Maximilíano Durón, ARTnews.com, 14 July 2026

Kenneth George Aston, who headed FIFA’s refereeing committee, took inspiration from traffic lights and, in 1967, introduced the yellow and red cards that are still used today. — ABC News, 11 July 2026

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1549, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1883, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

Rhymes for referee

• agree
• allee
• banshee
• beastly
• bibi
• bowsprit
• carefree
• cerci
• chablis
• cowpea
• crappie
• crappy

Kids Definition

referee

1 of 2 noun

ref·​er·​ee ˌref-ə-ˈrē 

1

: a person to whom something that is to be investigated or decided is referred

2

: a sports official usually having final authority in conducting a game

referee

2 of 2 verb

refereed; refereeing

: to conduct as a referee

Legal Definition

referee

noun

ref·​er·​ee ˌre-fə-ˈrē 

: an officer appointed by a court or quasi-judicial body (as a workers' compensation board) to investigate a case, report findings, and often to make orders subject to review

the board may affirm, reverse, modify or supplement the order of the referee

—Oregon Revised Statutes