referee

noun ref·er·ee \ ˌre-fə-ˈrē \

Updated on: 22 Apr 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b : a person who reviews a paper and especially a technical paper and recommends that it should or should not be published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

Howard coach Jimmy Creighton said nobody recognizes the referee’s whistle quicker than Knorr.

— glenn graham, baltimoresun.com, "Quick study on faceoffs, Felix Knorr has Howard boys lacrosse on the rise," 19 Apr. 2018
The nominees include: Matthew Auger, a Groton Democrat who works as a Connecticut Superior Court trial referee and is a judge of the Gaming Disputes Court for Mohegan Tribal Court.

— christopher keating, courant.com, "Gov. Malloy Nominates 14 Attorneys To Superior Court," 13 Apr. 2018
The joy of shopping is in conjuring an imaginary version of yourself, the version that has the stones to rock a referee-stripe cardigan.

— sam schube, GQ, "You Could Use a Style Upgrade," 10 Apr. 2018
Matt Brickley, a former minor league and college referee and longtime hockey official in Utah, was diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer late last year.

— helene elliott, latimes.com, "Family ecstatic, touched as Kings rookie Daniel Brickley makes his debut," 7 Apr. 2018
By the time the referee blew his whistle to signal the end of the half, Manchester City -- who have so often blitzed opposition teams this season -- hadn't even registered a single shot on target.

— matias grez, CNN, "Liverpool stun Manchester City to take commanding lead in Champions League tie," 4 Apr. 2018
Weston works as a basketball referee regularly and still plays himself at least three times a week.

— ryan posner, Houston Chronicle, "Carlisle family left towering legacy in Bay Area sports, education," 3 Apr. 2018
During his time at The Orlando Sentinel, Herb gave back to area youth sports as a basketball referee for AAU, middle school and high school games.

— orlando sentinel, OrlandoSentinel.com, "Deaths in Central Florida: 4/3," 3 Apr. 2018
In the second-half, the referee hardly blew the whistle.

— aamer madhani, USA TODAY, "After 33 years of mediocrity, Loyola-Chicago embraces March Madness, Cinderella Ramblers," 21 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

Sky Sports pundit, and former Manchester United defender Gary Neville has gone on a Twitter rant, venting his frustrations at the inconsistency shown by Premier League refereeing this past weekend.

— SI.com, "Respected Pundit Hits Out at Standard of Premier League Refereeing After Weekend of Inconsistency," 11 Sep. 2017
Senators confirmed attorney Marvin Kaplan, on a 50-48 vote, for a position on the five-member board that referees disputes between unions and employers.

— eric morath, WSJ, "Senate Confirms Marvin Kaplan for Labor Relations Board," 2 Aug. 2017
The beauty of soccer is that the underdog has a chance, that shots can hit the crossbar, that a ball can take a deflection and go in the net, that referees can blow calls.

— mark zeigler, sandiegouniontribune.com, "The arrogance of U.S. Soccer persists," 13 Oct. 2017
Sugar Ray Robinson fighting in tank towns, Joe Louis refereeing wrestling matches and glad-handing at Las Vegas casinos—but no one could have predicted such a fate when Ali was Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr.

— john schulian, WSJ, "The King’s Ransom," 6 Oct. 2017
Sunday in New Orleans, without a nickel of extra pay, Brady had to help referee the game, too.

— bill pennington, New York Times, "Tom Brady Always Wins. Even Against the Refs.," 18 Sep. 2017
That incident occurred before a volleyball match, where IHSAA referees threatened to suspend any player who did not show respect for the flag or national anthem.

— jim ayello, Indianapolis Star, "IHSAA referee, an Air Force vet, suspended for leaving after player knelt during anthem," 19 Oct. 2017
Groundskeepers mainly referee disputes over court reservations.

— allysia finley, WSJ, "Tennis Anyone? Not Without a Permit," 7 Sep. 2017
The head referee speaks to a pool reporter after the game if requested.

— profootballdoc, sandiegouniontribune.com, "NFL needs to be more transparent regarding how head trauma assessed," 16 Oct. 2017

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