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
Michelle Kaufman, Miami Herald, 20 June 2025
One new wrinkle to the partnership is that the Emirates logo will now appear on the uniforms of the ATP chair umpires; the airliner has done the same with referees and officials in the NBA, SailGP, World Rugby and the International Cricket Council (ICC).
—Jason Clinkscales, Sportico.com, 19 June 2025
Philip Buckingham, New York Times, 25 Mar. 2025
Participants will learn how to referee grassroots games efficiently in a program for individuals over age 14 who hope to referee mini football, 9v9 and 11v11 games.
—Janine Henni, People.com, 11 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for referee
Noun
Head referee Cristian Garay called for the controversial PK after going to VAR and the ruling was that Noah Allen made contact with Porto’s Joao Mario in the penalty area.
—Michelle Kaufman, Miami Herald, 20 June 2025
One new wrinkle to the partnership is that the Emirates logo will now appear on the uniforms of the ATP chair umpires; the airliner has done the same with referees and officials in the NBA, SailGP, World Rugby and the International Cricket Council (ICC).
—Jason Clinkscales, Sportico.com, 19 June 2025
Verb
Former Premier League referees Lee Mason and Phil Dowd were invited along to monitor performances and lead feedback sessions afterwards.
—Philip Buckingham, New York Times, 25 Mar. 2025
Participants will learn how to referee grassroots games efficiently in a program for individuals over age 14 who hope to referee mini football, 9v9 and 11v11 games.
—Janine Henni, People.com, 11 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for referee
Recent Examples of Synonyms for referee
Noun
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Burns started Judge with a slider near the top of the zone that home plate umpire Mark Wegner called a ball, even though MLB’s GameDay showed the pitch easily inside the zone.—
C. Trent Rosecrans,
New York Times,
24 June 2025
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Schnall was ejected in the first inning after an argument with home plate umpire Angel Campos.—
Ryan Gaydos,
FOXNews.com,
23 June 2025
Verb
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Always, along the chain of hectic audience gossip, there was one person who decided to nip in the bud the talk about a too iconoclastic Beckett, and the relay to the estate was stopped; someone—more than one someone—who decided that Matthew and his crazy dreams were worth shielding.—
Han Ong,
New Yorker,
22 June 2025
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After a fun evening at the amusement park, the family decided to set Cade free.—
Saman Shafiq,
USA Today,
22 June 2025
Noun
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After a jury found Simpson liable, a judge awarded the families of the victims $33.5 million in damages.—
Karissa Waddick,
USA Today,
19 June 2025
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Though the advocate general’s proposal is non-binding, judges tend to follow four out of five such non-binding opinions.—
Ryan Browne,
CNBC,
19 June 2025
Verb
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The unexpected matchup between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Indiana Pacers will be settled on Sunday, June 22 in Oklahoma City.—
Vitas Carosella,
Forbes.com,
21 June 2025
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The judge’s decision this week came more than 15 years after the first explosive lawsuit between the two men was settled.—
Ryan Kartje,
Los Angeles Times,
20 June 2025
Verb
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Authorities have stated that details about the motive and sequence of events will be determined through the ongoing investigation.—
Hollie Silverman,
MSNBC Newsweek,
25 June 2025
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Currently, there is no information on the containment of the fire and the cause of it has yet to be determined.—
CA WILDFIRE BOT,
Sacbee.com,
25 June 2025
Verb
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By this point, the stewards already had a long list of incidents to adjudicate — and, because of the timing of Red Bull’s protest, the one that would decide the race result itself was at the bottom of the pile.—
Luke Smith,
New York Times,
19 June 2025
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The results are then adjudicated by the NFF Honors Court, which decides the final members of the class, which will be inducted in January of 2026.—
Lawrence Dow,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
2 June 2025
Verb
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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
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In May, Morris filed a lawsuit asking Tarrant County courts to force the Southlake megachurch to arbitrate a dispute about his retirement pay, the Star-Telegram previously reported.—
Lillie Davidson,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
13 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Referee.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/referee. Accessed 3 Jul. 2025.
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