referee

ref·er·ee | \ ˌre-fə-ˈrē

Definition of referee

(Entry 1 of 2)

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b : a person who reviews a paper and especially a technical paper and recommends that it should or should not be published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

verb

refereed; refereeing

Definition of referee (Entry 2 of 2)

transitive verb

1 : to conduct (a match or game) as referee

2a : 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 Example Sentences Learn More about referee

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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 That the free market might serve as the referee in this instance seems dramatically too optimistic—Merck still exists, after all. — Libby Watson, The New Republic, "The Deadly Coronavirus Vaccine Gold Rush," 7 Aug. 2020 Crew chief David Guthrie handled the video review that led to the Flagrant 1 ruling, after the Olynyk foul was called by referee Tre Maddox. — Ira Winderman, sun-sentinel.com, "NBA referee acknowledges error on critical call against Heat in loss to Raptors," 3 Aug. 2020 In the eighth round, George connected with an awkward punch on top of Escudero's head that floored him, but the referee ruled it a slip as George also seemed to connect with his forearm on an off-balance opponent. — Matt Young, Houston Chronicle, "Joe George knocks out Marcos Escudero in rematch," 1 Aug. 2020 The league will experiment with additional review options during the preseason as requested by the referee to the replay assistant. — Barry Wilner, The Denver Post, "NFL owners table onside kick alternative proposal," 28 May 2020 Most moms have become short-order cooks in the past weeks, in addition to taking on a host of other jobs including homeschool teacher, entertainment director, and referee. — Katie Bowlby, Country Living, "Restaurants Open on Mother's Day 2020 for Delivery or Carryout," 6 May 2020 The two in-state teams delivered their own moment of silence by taking a knee along with the referee and the line judges just before the opening kick. — Mark Long, Houston Chronicle, "MLS returns to action after poignant moment of silence," 8 July 2020 There was still time for the video assistant referee to get involved and add some extra drama after Davies was deemed to have handled the ball in the penalty area. — Matias Grez, CNN, "Bayern Munich remains on course for historic treble with German Cup win over Bayer Leverkusen," 4 July 2020 Reyes had trouble breathing as teammates and the referee called for help. — Mark Long, Houston Chronicle, "MLS returns to action after poignant moment of silence," 8 July 2020 Recent Examples on the Web: Verb Jaylen Brown had Smart's back, taking to Instagram after the game to post a picture of two people holding hands with the superimposed heads of Antetokounmpo and referee Ken Mauer. — Mark Medina, USA TODAY, "Spurs defend Gregg Popovich for standing instead of kneeling during national anthem," 2 Aug. 2020 But there are others who do not, and Daw has had to referee some angry outbursts. — al, "‘We saw how things were going’: How one small Alabama city became a leader in mandating masks," 12 July 2020 After only a brief consultation with VAR, referee Fabio Maresca promptly gave Patric his marching order. — Matias Grez, CNN, "Zlatan Ibrahimovic says he is 'president, coach and player' at AC Milan after comeback win over Juventus," 8 July 2020 However referee Michael Oliver's watch failed to buzz and signify that the entire ball had crossed the line -- which subsequent TV replays seemed to indicate had clearly happened. — Glen Levy, CNN, "Premier League players take a knee -- and make a stand," 17 June 2020 But the appeals court judges said in a 2-1 ruling that the case should be dismissed because the Constitution forbids federal courts from refereeing this kind of dispute between the other two branches of government. — Mark Sherman, BostonGlobe.com, "New chance for House Democrats to force McGahn’s testimony," 28 Apr. 2020 Fury was delivering further heavy blows in the seventh before the towel came in and referee Kenny Bayless called a formal halt to the proceedings after one minute 39 seconds of the round. — Paul Gittings, CNN, "Tyson Fury stops Deontay Wilder in seventh round of WBC heavyweight title rematch," 23 Feb. 2020 Questionable refereeing biases appeared to often work against the Attucks basketball team, even into the ‘50s, and physical threats against players were far from uncommon. — Nathan Brown, Indianapolis Star, "Crispus Attucks basketball legends speaking at IPL's Center for Black Literature and Culture," 17 Oct. 2019 Related Politics Bolton's Offer to Testify Tests McConnell's Power Pelosi refereed contentious disputes between chairmen with discretion. — Time, "'We've Upped the Ante.' Why Nancy Pelosi Is Going All in Against Trump," 9 Jan. 2020

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.

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Last Updated

10 Aug 2020

Cite this Entry

“Referee.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/referee. Accessed 22 Aug. 2020.

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More Definitions for referee

referee

noun

English Language Learners Definition of referee

(Entry 1 of 2)

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

referee

verb

English Language Learners Definition of referee (Entry 2 of 2)

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

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

referee

noun

ref·er·ee | \ ˌre-fə-ˈrē

Kids Definition of referee

(Entry 1 of 2)

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

2 : a person who is asked to settle a disagreement

referee

verb

refereed; refereeing

Kids Definition of referee (Entry 2 of 2)

: to act or be in charge of as referee I referee basketball games.

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 the board may affirm, reverse, modify or supplement the order of the referee — Oregon Revised Statutes

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