as in umpire
a person who impartially decides or resolves a dispute or controversy
served as the unofficial referee in disputes over the family business
Synonyms & Similar Words
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as in to decide
to give an opinion about (something at issue or in dispute)
their father usually ends up refereeing any disputes concerning use of the big TV
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of referee
Kevin Dotson, CNN Money, 6 July 2025
The amusing interaction comes a few days after Plum appeared to urge referees to give Clark, 23-years-old, a technical foul for stepping onto the court during the Sparks' game against the Indiana Fever on Thursday, June 26.
—Grace Jordan-Weinstein, People.com, 30 June 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for referee
Noun
The Americans were unable to generate another good scoring opportunity before referee Mario Escobar blew the final whistle.
—Kevin Dotson, CNN Money, 6 July 2025
The amusing interaction comes a few days after Plum appeared to urge referees to give Clark, 23-years-old, a technical foul for stepping onto the court during the Sparks' game against the Indiana Fever on Thursday, June 26.
—Grace Jordan-Weinstein, People.com, 30 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
See All Example Sentences for referee
Recent Examples of Synonyms for referee
Noun
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At one point, play was stopped when a champagne cork flew onto the court; the umpire politely asked the crowd to refrain from popping bottles while the players were serving.—
Louisa Thomas,
New Yorker,
14 July 2025
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Sabalenka again offered her bottle of water into the crowd as several umbrellas shielded the member of the crowd, with both players returning to their seats either side of the umpire.—
Leon Imber,
New York Times,
10 July 2025
Verb
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In a July 15 episode of her podcast, Unlocked, the reality television star, 27, decided to speak about undergoing liposuction for the first time, detailing the reasoning behind her decision to undergo the knife.—
Michelle Lee,
People.com,
15 July 2025
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Every candidate has already been vetted for safety; A.I. can identify low-hanging fruit, and then humans can decide whether the pairing is ripe for picking.—
Dhruv Khullar,
New Yorker,
15 July 2025
Noun
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Daybell filed motions to have the judge replaced and to get her cases retried.—
Miguel Torres,
AZCentral.com,
26 July 2025
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City Council President Mary Sheffield's office asked Corporation Counsel Conrad Mallett to clarify what is allowable under the judge's order.—
Dana Afana,
Freep.com,
26 July 2025
Verb
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But if a real estate investment isn’t in the cards at the moment, settle for the next best thing by renting one of the many villas currently listed on Airbnb.—
Nicole Kliest,
Vogue,
14 July 2025
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Gary, though, did have one last piece of business to settle — with Ballard herself, stalking her in the dark of the cold case unit’s basement HQ.—
Matt Webb Mitovich,
TVLine,
14 July 2025
Verb
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The four semifinalists were determined based on point differential with the Raptors (+15.8), Thunder (+14.8), Hornets (+12.7) and Kings (+11.5) finishing ahead of the Minnesota Timberwolves (+9.5) and Atlanta Hawks (+8.0).—
Jason Anderson,
Sacbee.com,
20 July 2025
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To fulfill a campaign process, President Donald Trump has overturned the asylum process set up by his predecessor and determined that tens of thousands of people who followed a Biden administration process are in the United States illegally.—
Eduardo Cuevas,
USA Today,
19 July 2025
Verb
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In December 2024, the teen driver in the March 2024 incident was adjudicated delinquent — the juvenile version of being found guilty — of aiding and abetting first-degree assault of a peace officer.—
Kathryn Kovalenko,
Twin Cities,
18 June 2025
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And occasionally, the judiciary and other adjudicating bodies still push back on the executive’s overreach.—
ASHLEY J. TELLIS,
Foreign Affairs,
17 June 2025
Verb
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Additionally, the terms state that robotaxis shouldn’t be used to provide emergency transportation and that riders in the pilot program will need to arbitrate any dispute.—
Alan Ohnsman,
Forbes.com,
8 July 2025
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Given his often conflicting obligations to cyberspace operations under Title 10 of the U.S. Code and signals intelligence under Title 50, he is compelled to arbitrate in favor of one or the other, rather than advocate on behalf of either side.—
James G. Stavridis,
Foreign Affairs,
22 Oct. 2013
Cite this Entry
“Referee.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/referee. Accessed 29 Jul. 2025.
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