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: a person who reviews a paper and especially a technical paper and recommends that it should or should not be published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
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
Jim Keyser, Idaho Statesman, 25 Oct. 2025
The fiery coach was heard barking to referees after his quarterback Keali’i Ah Yat was blown up on a hit in the third quarter, which drew a roughing-the-passer penalty.
—Joe Davidson, Sacbee.com, 25 Oct. 2025
Chris Kenning, USA Today, 25 Oct. 2025
In The Simpsons’ World Cup episode, Homer is asked to referee a match after FIFA fires officials who had been bribed to call matches unfairly.
—Zoe Kaplan, PEOPLE, 11 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for referee
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Noun
After considerable time, referee Cal McNeill announced that the ruling on the field — even though there had not been any indication of one — was that the ball indeed hit a Nevada player and was recovered by the Broncos.
—Jim Keyser, Idaho Statesman, 25 Oct. 2025
The fiery coach was heard barking to referees after his quarterback Keali’i Ah Yat was blown up on a hit in the third quarter, which drew a roughing-the-passer penalty.
—Joe Davidson, Sacbee.com, 25 Oct. 2025
Verb
Wyatt Earp, before his death in 1929, would sometimes come in for a drink after refereeing nearby boxing matches held in the area.
—Chris Kenning, USA Today, 25 Oct. 2025
In The Simpsons’ World Cup episode, Homer is asked to referee a match after FIFA fires officials who had been bribed to call matches unfairly.
—Zoe Kaplan, PEOPLE, 11 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for referee
Cite this Entry
“Referee.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/referee. Accessed 3 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationKids 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 StatutesLove words? Need even more definitions?
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