referral

noun

re·​fer·​ral ri-ˈfər-əl How to pronounce referral (audio)
1
: the act, action, or an instance of referring
gave the patient a referral to a specialist
2
: one that is referred

Examples of referral in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web The committee sent a criminal referral to the Justice Department that could add charges to an existing federal indictment against Mr. Santos for conspiracy and fraud. The Editorial Board, WSJ, 16 Nov. 2023 When teachers do make a referral for special education services, there's often still a question of how—and whether—to make a learning disability determination. Sarah Carr, Scientific American, 10 Nov. 2023 That model offers little incentive to provide referrals or other care for patients. Jon Brodkin, Ars Technica, 2 Nov. 2023 Candidates with an internal referral, on the other hand, were least likely to be ghosted. Jane Thier, Fortune, 30 Oct. 2023 That steep drop outpaces an industry-wide slowdown in referrals to top news sites from X and Facebook this year, according to industry data from the analytics firm Similarweb first reported by Axios. Drew Harwell, Washington Post, 19 Oct. 2023 But the notice also states the family will not be able to appeal the referral to an alternative school. Chandelis Duster, CNN, 11 Oct. 2023 Don't hesitate to ask your healthcare provider for a referral to a diabetes educator or nutritionist. Debra Manzella, Verywell Health, 21 Oct. 2023 Asked whether any such effort might be underway to better coordinate referrals and transportation, the California Health and Human Services Agency referred questions to U.S. Customs and Border Protection, which did not respond to a request for comment made Thursday. Paul Sisson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 23 Sep. 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'referral.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1927, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of referral was in 1927

Dictionary Entries Near referral

Cite this Entry

“Referral.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/referral. Accessed 30 Nov. 2023.

Kids Definition

referral

noun
re·​fer·​ral ri-ˈfər-əl How to pronounce referral (audio)
: the act or an instance of referring

Medical Definition

referral

noun
re·​fer·​ral ri-ˈfər-əl How to pronounce referral (audio)
1
: the process of directing or redirecting (as a medical case or a patient) to an appropriate specialist or agency for definitive treatment
2
: an individual that is referred

Legal Definition

referral

noun
re·​fer·​ral ri-ˈfər-əl How to pronounce referral (audio)
: the act or an instance of referring
appealed the referral of the bill to the Budget Committee

More from Merriam-Webster on referral

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