referee

noun ref·er·ee \ ˌre-fə-ˈrē \

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b :a person who reviews a paper and especially a technical paper and recommends that it should or should not be published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

The same referees will do the junior varsity and varsity contests.

— brent kennedy, Howard County Times, "Howard County boys soccer teams aiming to unseat Mt. Hebron," 27 Aug. 2017
Williams and Adidas are also launching a city-wide campaign called Quiet Please—note the strikethrough—that will put referee chairs around New York City on August 28 and encourage visitors to get up there and speak their minds.

— steff yotka, Vogue, "Pharrell Williams and Garbiñe Muguruza Are Bringing Love to the US Open with Retro Adidas Outfits and a Social Campaign," 26 Aug. 2017
Akira Tozawa (champ) with Titus O'Neil vs. Neville for the WWE Cruiserweight Championship. AJ Styles (champ) vs. Kevin Owens for the WWE United States Championship with Shane McMahon as special guest referee.

— posted jim varsallone, miamiherald, "The Taz Show after SummerSlam on CBS Sports Radio in South Florida," 17 Aug. 2017
Webb personally led the training of 50 referees who are now capable of using VAR.

— patrick brennan, Cincinnati.com, "VAR is here: What you need to know," 5 Aug. 2017
But Webb has ordered the referees to prioritize accuracy over speed.

— ben shpigel, New York Times, "‘Wonderful Addition’ or ‘Mess,’ Video Replay Heads to M.L.S.," 20 July 2017
Louisville City clawed a goal back in second half stoppage time but the referee blew the whistle for full time seconds after.

— daniel karell, The Courier-Journal, "Louisville City FC falls 3-2 at home to rival FC Cincinnati in front of record crowd," 15 July 2017
Bill LeMonnier, a former Big Ten referee and currently an analyst for ESPN and ABC, was also named to the commission.

— mike nolan, Daily Southtown, "Six named to Tinley Park plan commission," 13 July 2017
Football Midlothian: Free classes are forming for those interested in becoming football referees at the youth and high school levels.

— Daily Southtown, "Sports calendar," 11 July 2017

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

referee Synonyms

Synonyms

adjudicator, arbiter, arbitrator, judge, umpire

Related Words

jurist, justice, magistrate; intermediary, intermediate, mediator, mediatrix, 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

Coaches from both teams, referees and police officers on-site were able to separate the teams and regain control, but the game was called with 1:53 to play and Cox leading 21-0.

— amos morale iii, NOLA.com, "Helen Cox, Higgins to forfeit season openers after jamboree fight, LHSAA rules," 29 Aug. 2017
For every referee, whether man or woman, the dream is to be able to referee in the Bundesliga.

— ciaran fahey, The Seattle Times, "Card me: 1st female ref set for German soccer top flight," 17 Aug. 2017
Just enough of the collisions were fair challenges that referee Rubiel Vasquez didn’t put his whistle to much use.

— jonathan tannenwald, Philly.com, "Union's MLS playoff hopes take a blow with 3-0 loss to Montreal," 13 Aug. 2017
With the latest lawsuit, which seeks to prevent the president from reversing a policy put in place by the Obama administration, a federal judge is once again being asked to referee a clash in the country’s escalating culture war.

— andrew m harris, Bloomberg.com, "Military Servicemembers Sue Trump Over Transgender Proposal," 9 Aug. 2017
Latif Blessing was fouled in the box to set up the try, and referee Chris Penso elected not to review the call in the first weekend of replay in MLS.

— sam mcdowell, kansascity, "Ex-Sporting KC player Jacob Peterson’s goal gives Atlanta tie with his former team," 6 Aug. 2017
The goal of video review in soccer, Webb explained, is to reverse or change only the most important refereeing decisions of the approximately 275 that are made in an average soccer match.

— patrick brennan, Cincinnati.com, "VAR is here: What you need to know," 5 Aug. 2017
The goal of video review in soccer, Webb explained, is to reverse or change only the most important refereeing decisions of the approximately 275 that are made in an average soccer match.

— patrick brennan, The Courier-Journal, "VAR is here: What you need to know," 5 Aug. 2017
Lauderdale Lakes will referee a flag football game.

— lisa j. huriash, Sun-Sentinel.com, "Community events on Tuesday take aim at crime in S. Fla.," 26 July 2017

First Known Use of referee

1883

referee Synonyms

Synonyms

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

Related Words

consider, deem, deliberate, hear, ponder, weigh; size up; mediate, moderate, negotiate; prosecute, try; find (for or against); conclude, resolve; redetermine, rejudge

Near Antonyms

equivocate, hedge, pussyfoot, skirt

British Definition of REFEREE

referee

noun

British Definition of referee

:reference 4a

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