referee

noun ref·er·ee \ ˌre-fə-ˈrē \

Updated on: 20 May 2018

Definition of referee

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b : a person who reviews a paper and especially a technical paper and recommends that it should or should not be published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 4a

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

See referee defined for English-language learners

See referee defined for kids

Examples of referee in a Sentence

served as the unofficial referee in disputes over the family business

Recent Examples of referee from the Web

Delem forcefully took out Valeri by sliding into his legs from behind in the 34th minute, but referee Robert Sibiga only issued Delem a yellow card on the play.

— jamie goldberg, OregonLive.com, "Timbers midfielder Sebastian Blanco celebrates game-winning goal by donning Chucky mask," 13 May 2018
Orlando City fans showed their frustration with the referee in the final seconds of Orlando City’s 2-1 loss to visiting Atlanta United by littering all sides of the pitch.

— jordan culver and alicia delgallo, Pro Soccer USA, "Orlando City fans throw trash onto field during loss to Atlanta United," 13 May 2018
Some Hamburg players broke down and cried after referee Felix Brych finally ended the game after a long hold up due to the disturbances.

— ciaran fahey, chicagotribune.com, "Bundesliga Recap: Hamburg suffer first-ever relegation amid fan chaos," 12 May 2018
There was no ejection at first bite, but referee Mills Lane disqualified Tyson after Bite No. 2.

— sean smyth, BostonGlobe.com, "Brad Marchand isn’t the only athlete who’s found weird ways to psych out opponents," 6 May 2018
The head of a state basketball association in Australia has been banned from attending games for eight weeks after confronting a referee supervisor at his daughter's under-12 game.

— Fox News, "State basketball head banned over conduct at daughter's game," 20 Apr. 2018
In basketball, the issue of not having enough referees could be spotlighted in 2019.

— michael katz, idahostatesman, "The number of high school referees keeps falling. Will your kids’ games be affected? | Idaho Statesman," 29 Mar. 2018
Speaking of goals, a special version of this watch will actually be worn by the referees at this year’s World Cup to interface with the goal-line technology.

— paul miller, The Verge, "World Cup referees will use Hublot’s new Wear OS watch to check for goals," 21 Mar. 2018
McCutchen said young referees have similar growing pains.

— jason jones, sacbee, "‘I was the same way’: Kings’ Randolph helps young teammates understand NBA officiating | The Sacramento Bee," 18 Mar. 2018

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

First Known Use of referee

1549

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

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referee Synonyms

Synonyms

adjudicator, arbiter, arbitrator, judge, umpire;

Related Words

jurist, justice, magistrate;

intermediary, intermediate, mediator, moderator, negotiator;

conciliator, go-between, peacemaker, reconciler, troubleshooter;

decider;

Other Publishing Terms

annotate, dreadful, emend, expurgate, factoid, jump, lobster shift, redaction

referee

verb

Definition of referee

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

See referee defined for English-language learners

Examples of referee in a Sentence

She refereed the basketball game.
He has refereed for several years now.

Recent Examples of referee from the Web

And Violet Palmer would referee for the NBA and Sarah Thomas for the NFL.

— lori nickel, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Nickel: In the world of sports, stop asking whether women can," 15 May 2018
John refereed at various High School basketball games throughout the State.

— courant.com, "John E. Nowicky Jr.," 15 May 2018
Cattle and tortoise grazed on the same grasses — and with no one to referee, the cows usually won.

— leah sottile, Longreads, "Bundyville Chapter One: A War in the Desert," 15 May 2018
However, referee Jesus Gil Manzano deemed there to be no contact and subsequently brandished the Frenchman a yellow card; which, on reflection, seemed a dubious decision, at best before the 34-year-old Spaniard brought an end to the first half.

— SI.com, "Atletico Madrid 3-0 Levante: Clinical Atleti Down Relegation Strugglers as Simeone's Men March On," 15 Apr. 2018
The heated moment was caught on video and appeared to show Marcus Fowles, who was refereeing the game, initially get into a dispute with a woman who was thought to be a parent of one of the Shockers players, the outlet said.

— elizabeth zwirz, Fox News, "Georgia high school basketball game erupts into brawl following call by ref," 12 Apr. 2018
The Packers challenged an apparent completion to Bryant on fourth down, and referee Gene Steratore overturned the call.

— tom schad, USA TODAY, "NFL competition committee seeks catch rule changes to make Dez Bryant-like plays completions," 27 Feb. 2018
One not to delve into conspiracy theories regarding refereeing and league bias, Duncan said home court advantage is the only reason the Warriors have had more chances at the free throw line than the Pelicans in this series.

— clyde verdin, NOLA.com, "Pelicans focus should be on attacking early, stopping Curry," 3 May 2018
When refereeing a challenge to a patent, the office must consider all of the challenger’s claims, not just a subset of them, the court said.

— brent kendall, WSJ, "Supreme Court Upholds New Process for Challenging Patents," 24 Apr. 2018

First Known Use of referee

1883

in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

See Words from the same year

NEW! Time Traveler

referee Synonyms

Synonyms

adjudge, adjudicate, arbitrate, decide, determine, judge, rule (on), settle, umpire;

Near Antonyms

equivocate, hedge, pussyfoot, skirt;

size up;

mediate, moderate, negotiate;

prosecute, try;

find (for or against);

conclude, resolve;

REFEREE Defined for English Language Learners

referee

noun

Definition of referee for English Language Learners

: a person who makes sure that players act according to the rules of a game or sport

referee

verb

Definition of referee for English Language Learners

sports : to act as a referee in (a game or sport)

REFEREE Defined for Kids

referee

noun ref·er·ee \ ˌre-fə-ˈrē \

Definition of referee for Students

1 : a sports official with final authority for conducting a game

2 : a person who is asked to settle a disagreement

referee

verb

Definition of referee for Students

refereed; refereeing

: to act or be in charge of as referee

I referee basketball games.

Law Dictionary

referee

noun ref·er·ee \ ˌre-fə-ˈrē \

legal Definition of referee

: 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