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
Relevance
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
Giovanni Malloy, Forbes.com, 30 Apr. 2025
The Stars ice the puck immediately, but referee Rob Shick calls for a video review.
—Houston Mitchell, Los Angeles Times, 28 Apr. 2025
John Tamny, Forbes, 9 Mar. 2025
Kovacs primarily referees in Romania’s SuperLiga, having first taken charge of a top flight game at the age of just 22.
—Sam Joseph, The Athletic, 19 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for referee
Noun
The footage is then fed into software that has been trained to recognize specific objects, such as players, referees, balls, and lines on the playing surface.
—Giovanni Malloy, Forbes.com, 30 Apr. 2025
The Stars ice the puck immediately, but referee Rob Shick calls for a video review.
—Houston Mitchell, Los Angeles Times, 28 Apr. 2025
Verb
See the fact that already Tether is well ahead of it as a medium of exchange, refereeing 4 out of 5 crypto transactions.
—John Tamny, Forbes, 9 Mar. 2025
Kovacs primarily referees in Romania’s SuperLiga, having first taken charge of a top flight game at the age of just 22.
—Sam Joseph, The Athletic, 19 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for referee
Recent Examples of Synonyms for referee
Noun
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Bill Miller was the home plate umpire for Friday night's game between the Boston Red Sox and Minnesota Twins at Fenway Park.—
Ryan Morik,
FOXNews.com,
3 May 2025
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Throughout this season, there will be a few thousand fewer strikes because of how the umpires are judged.—
Eno Sarris,
New York Times,
2 May 2025
Verb
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The California State Parks Foundation, which is dedicated to preserving California’s state park system, decided to make its first-ever top 10 list after receiving hundreds of queries over the years about the best parks to visit, Norton told The Tribune.—
Hannah Poukish,
Sacbee.com,
17 May 2025
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The Court found that the IRS was correct in its decision to revoke tax-exempt status, but the case was not decided until 1983.—
Kelly Phillips Erb,
Forbes.com,
17 May 2025
Noun
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Quick look at Wednesday's news: The Menendez brothers are eligible for parole, a judge ruled.—
Jane Onyanga-Omara,
USA Today,
15 May 2025
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The concerted verbal assault on Williams, a Democrat who served as a prosecutor and public defender in Miami before becoming a federal judge in 2011, has been striking.—
Jay Weaver,
Miami Herald,
14 May 2025
Verb
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Have all the evidentiary issues been settled? Not entirely.—
Jorge L. Ortiz,
USA Today,
17 May 2025
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Listen to this article San Diego is paying out $700,000 to settle two injury lawsuits, one involving a pedestrian in San Ysidro and another involving a motorcycle rider in northern Clairemont.—
David Garrick,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
16 May 2025
Verb
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Law enforcement officials are working to determine the circumstances surrounding the shooting.—
Jordan King,
MSNBC Newsweek,
8 May 2025
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State police investigated the incident and presented a case file to Crews to determine if the officers acted lawfully, the release states.—
Grant Lancaster,
Arkansas Online,
8 May 2025
Verb
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His trial committee — the five volunteer writers tasked with adjudicating rule violations — recommended a lesser, confidential censure along with some equity and inclusion training.—
Gene Maddaus,
Variety,
8 May 2025
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But Ozturk's lawyers asked U.S. District Judge William Sessions to order her to be released or transferred to Vermont while her claims are adjudicated.—
Melissa Quinn,
CBS News,
7 May 2025
Verb
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The decision was arbitrated by several sports bodies, including the International Olympic Committee, the International Gymnastics Federation and the Court of Arbitration for Sport.—
Sean Neumann,
People.com,
2 Apr. 2025
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When sophisticated businesses agree to arbitrate, judges are often inclined to dismiss lawsuits attempts to bypass arbitration.—
Michael McCann,
Sportico.com,
3 Sep. 2019
Cite this Entry
“Referee.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/referee. Accessed 22 May. 2025.
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