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: a person who reviews a paper and especially a technical paper and recommends that it should or should not be published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
refereed; refereeing
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
: to act as a referee
Synonyms
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
Houston Mitchell, Los Angeles Times, 22 Sep. 2023
In 2018, a white referee in New Jersey told a Black high school wrestler to cut his dreadlocks or forfeit a match.
—Cheyanne Mumphrey and Juan Lozano, The Christian Science Monitor, 19 Sep. 2023
Viral video of the wrestler having his hair cut with scissors as the crowd watched prompted the referee's suspension and spurred passage of the state's CROWN Act.
—Cheyanne Mumphrey and Juan Lozano, BostonGlobe.com, 18 Sep. 2023
American Athletic Conference referees will officiate this weekend’s game in Raymond James Stadium.
—Nick Alvarez | Nalvarez@al.com, al, 14 Sep. 2023
The first was in the 23-3 win over Indiana when a 24-yard pass from Kyle McCord to Marvin Harrison Jr. was taken off the board when the referees ruled that Harrison had stepped out of bounds.
—Stephen Means, cleveland, 12 Sep. 2023
In a lawsuit filed Monday, referee Pablo Fraga alleges the wrestler never should have been permitted to perform.
—Sarah Bahari, Dallas News, 22 Aug. 2023
Chris Evert and Barbara Potter also made the semifinals.
2017 — FIFA orders that a World Cup qualifier between South Africa and Senegal be replayed after the referee is found guilty of match manipulation and banned for life.
—Houston Mitchell, Los Angeles Times, 6 Sep. 2023
With the Wave trying to run out the clock, Stoney booted the ball down the sideline and, smiling, tried to play it off to the referee.
—Tom Krasovic, San Diego Union-Tribune, 26 Aug. 2023
Sarah Ellison, Washington Post, 25 Aug. 2023
Gemini May 21-June 20 You may be called upon to referee a dispute between your friends at any time.
—Tarot Astrologers, Chicago Tribune, 12 Aug. 2023
The 38-year-old French woman was also the first woman to referee a Ligue 1 match, the first to referee a major men's European match, and the first to officiate a men's UEFA Champions League match, CNN continues.
—Devika Rao, The Week, 1 Dec. 2022
Musk’s position as owner and current CEO of Twitter put him in an unusual position to host a presidential announcement, given the traditional role of social media executives in refereeing political discussion on their platforms.
—Faiz Siddiqui, Washington Post, 24 May 2023
Don't try to recruit peers to referee your dispute -- just wait a few days until the drama settles down.
—Tarot Astrologers, Chicago Tribune, 3 May 2023
Justice Merchan’s journey to the precedent-setting case began with an assignment to referee a subpoena dispute between the Manhattan district attorney’s office and the Trump Organization in late 2020, the people familiar with the matter said.
—Joe Palazzolo, wsj.com, 30 Apr. 2023
Since that day, Sculli has undergone a quadruple bypass surgery and returned to refereeing.
—Steve Hartman, CBS News, 24 Mar. 2023
After years of refereeing these often-heated arguments, my father finally devised the one-cuts-the-other-chooses policy.
—Julie Giuffrida, Los Angeles Times, 28 Apr. 2023
See More
Noun
The referee doesn’t start counting until four or five seconds after Tunney is down.
—Houston Mitchell, Los Angeles Times, 22 Sep. 2023
In 2018, a white referee in New Jersey told a Black high school wrestler to cut his dreadlocks or forfeit a match.
—Cheyanne Mumphrey and Juan Lozano, The Christian Science Monitor, 19 Sep. 2023
Viral video of the wrestler having his hair cut with scissors as the crowd watched prompted the referee's suspension and spurred passage of the state's CROWN Act.
—Cheyanne Mumphrey and Juan Lozano, BostonGlobe.com, 18 Sep. 2023
American Athletic Conference referees will officiate this weekend’s game in Raymond James Stadium.
—Nick Alvarez | Nalvarez@al.com, al, 14 Sep. 2023
The first was in the 23-3 win over Indiana when a 24-yard pass from Kyle McCord to Marvin Harrison Jr. was taken off the board when the referees ruled that Harrison had stepped out of bounds.
—Stephen Means, cleveland, 12 Sep. 2023
In a lawsuit filed Monday, referee Pablo Fraga alleges the wrestler never should have been permitted to perform.
—Sarah Bahari, Dallas News, 22 Aug. 2023
Chris Evert and Barbara Potter also made the semifinals.
2017 — FIFA orders that a World Cup qualifier between South Africa and Senegal be replayed after the referee is found guilty of match manipulation and banned for life.
—Houston Mitchell, Los Angeles Times, 6 Sep. 2023
With the Wave trying to run out the clock, Stoney booted the ball down the sideline and, smiling, tried to play it off to the referee.
—Tom Krasovic, San Diego Union-Tribune, 26 Aug. 2023
Verb
Trump’s ‘big lie’ fueled a new generation of social media influencers
Now, Meta is eyeing ways to cut down on having to referee controversial political content on its new Twitter-like social media app, Threads.
—Sarah Ellison, Washington Post, 25 Aug. 2023
Gemini May 21-June 20 You may be called upon to referee a dispute between your friends at any time.
—Tarot Astrologers, Chicago Tribune, 12 Aug. 2023
The 38-year-old French woman was also the first woman to referee a Ligue 1 match, the first to referee a major men's European match, and the first to officiate a men's UEFA Champions League match, CNN continues.
—Devika Rao, The Week, 1 Dec. 2022
Musk’s position as owner and current CEO of Twitter put him in an unusual position to host a presidential announcement, given the traditional role of social media executives in refereeing political discussion on their platforms.
—Faiz Siddiqui, Washington Post, 24 May 2023
Don't try to recruit peers to referee your dispute -- just wait a few days until the drama settles down.
—Tarot Astrologers, Chicago Tribune, 3 May 2023
Justice Merchan’s journey to the precedent-setting case began with an assignment to referee a subpoena dispute between the Manhattan district attorney’s office and the Trump Organization in late 2020, the people familiar with the matter said.
—Joe Palazzolo, wsj.com, 30 Apr. 2023
Since that day, Sculli has undergone a quadruple bypass surgery and returned to refereeing.
—Steve Hartman, CBS News, 24 Mar. 2023
After years of refereeing these often-heated arguments, my father finally devised the one-cuts-the-other-chooses policy.
—Julie Giuffrida, Los Angeles Times, 28 Apr. 2023
See More
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'referee.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
First Known Use
Noun
1549, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Verb
1883, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense
Dictionary Entries Near referee
Cite this Entry
“Referee.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/referee. Accessed 30 Sep. 2023.
Copy Citation
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
Oregon Revised Statutes
More from Merriam-Webster on referee
Nglish: Translation of referee for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of referee for Arabic Speakers
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about referee
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share