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
Dallas Morning News, 19 Mar. 2026
In a match with multiple scrambles, challenge bricks and referee reviews, Gonzales’ takedown was the difference in the 4-2 decision.
—Kevin J. Farmer, San Diego Union-Tribune, 18 Mar. 2026
Nicole Blanchard, Idaho Statesman, 27 Feb. 2026
In November, California voters may have to referee a multimillion-dollar battle among Uber, attorneys and doctors.
—Levi Sumagaysay, Mercury News, 24 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for referee
Noun
Dallas Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd looks to a referee during the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Atlanta Hawks at American Airlines Center on Wednesday, March 18, 2026, in Dallas.
—Dallas Morning News, 19 Mar. 2026
In a match with multiple scrambles, challenge bricks and referee reviews, Gonzales’ takedown was the difference in the 4-2 decision.
—Kevin J. Farmer, San Diego Union-Tribune, 18 Mar. 2026
Verb
With each witness, Guillard — in her role as her own attorney — challenged their testimony in sometimes testy back-and-forths that had to be refereed by the judge and court staff.
—Nicole Blanchard, Idaho Statesman, 27 Feb. 2026
In November, California voters may have to referee a multimillion-dollar battle among Uber, attorneys and doctors.
—Levi Sumagaysay, Mercury News, 24 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for referee
Recent Examples of Synonyms for referee
Noun
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Baseball is changing at a dizzying speed in 2026 with the arrival of robot umpires, the return home of the Tampa Bay Rays and an alphabet soup of networks televising games in perhaps the last season before a labor shutdown.—
Ronald Blum,
Chicago Tribune,
25 Mar. 2026
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The system, made up of multiple high-resolution cameras, analyzes every pitch relative to the home plate umpire's strike zone.—
Stephen J. Beard,
USA Today,
25 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Jenkins is on a road trip back to Yuba City and decided to grab some food.—
Carmela Karcher,
CBS News,
21 Mar. 2026
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The club’s decision makers will meet this weekend to decide on the club’s final few roster spots, but there are still a few days left for players to make a last impression.—
Mitch Bannon,
New York Times,
21 Mar. 2026
Noun
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But the judge said that, given Lau's age, her lack of a criminal record, and her remorse, the sentence was appropriate.—
Da Lin,
CBS News,
21 Mar. 2026
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Another federal judge in Boston on Monday temporarily blocked several of Kennedy's vaccine policy changes.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
21 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The town settled the lawsuit outside of court, agreeing to pay Morgan $45,000 and revise its social media policy, according to a document provided to The Denver Post by Morgan’s attorneys.—
Lauren Penington,
Denver Post,
26 Mar. 2026
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Clouds build overnight and temperatures will cool off quickly after sunset, settling in the low to mid-40s.—
Greg Porter,
San Francisco Chronicle,
26 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Future meetings are yet to be determined.—
Mary Walrath-Holdridge,
USA Today,
22 Mar. 2026
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Here is a closer look at what's at stake for Netanyahu, and how the wars with Iran and Hezbollah could help determine his fate.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
22 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Kagan and Barrett both pressed Sauer and Paul Clement, who argued on behalf of the RNC, about whether a decision in favor of the GOP would require election officials to complete other tasks on Election Day, such as adjudicating voters' qualifications.—
Melissa Quinn,
CBS News,
23 Mar. 2026
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Guest Janine Kovac, in addition to being an author herself, adjudicates submissions for various residencies and is co-director of Litquake’s Lit Crawl.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
16 Mar. 2026
Verb
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In 2022, however, SeaWorld allegedly refused to pay Sesame Workshop millions of dollars in royalties for the Sesame Place park in Langhorne, Pennsylvania, forcing Sesame Workshop to arbitrate the claim, according to the lawsuit.—
Isabel Yip,
NBC news,
13 Mar. 2026
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Any such controversy or claim shall be arbitrated on an individual basis and shall not be consolidated in any arbitration with any claim or controversy of any other party.—
CBS News Philadelphia Staff,
CBS News,
26 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Referee.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/referee. Accessed 27 Mar. 2026.
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