referee

1 of 2

noun

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: a person who reviews a paper and especially a technical paper and recommends that it should or should not be published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

referee

2 of 2

verb

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

Synonyms

Noun

• umpire
• judge

Verb

• decide
• judge
• settle
• determine
• umpire
• adjudicate
• arbitrate

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

Sometimes, referees failed to call a foul, sparking fan outrage. —Jackson Thompson, FOXNews.com, 22 June 2025

New for some refs, too The NBA doesn’t announce referee assignments until game day, so it won’t be known until Sunday morning who the three-person crew is for Game 7. —Tim Reynolds, Los Angeles Times, 21 June 2025

Verb

Listen to this article 2 min After a controversial no-call during a play involving Caitlin Clark Saturday, Indiana Fever head coach Stephanie White lambasted WNBA referees for their officiating in Fever games this season. —Jackson Thompson, FOXNews.com, 24 May 2025

Green's teammate Jimmy Butler spoke to ESPN after the game, agreeing that Green's reputation and history of receiving technical fouls contributes to the way officials referee him. —Natasha Dye, People.com, 9 May 2025

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1549, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1883, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

Rhymes for referee

• agree
• allee
• banshee
• beastly
• bibi
• bowsprit
• carefree
• cerci
• chablis
• cowpea
• crappie
• crappy

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