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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of referee
Peter Elkind, ProPublica, 27 Aug. 2025
Back in January, Lil Wayne, who is a Green Bay Packers fan, shared his less than positive reaction to the Kansas City Chiefs' 23-14 victory against the Houston Texans on X, criticizing the referees for making controversial calls.
—Ashlyn Robinette, People.com, 27 Aug. 2025
Saleen Martin, USA Today, 4 July 2025
Ponder, a retiree from Oklahoma who referees pickleball games, met Grubbs in 2017 at an international tournament in Spain.
—Alexandria Burris, IndyStar, 2 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for referee
Noun
Terrell represented a Black teenager who’d been expelled from a Los Angeles high school for punching a white referee during a football game after the referee allegedly had directed racial epithets at him.
—Peter Elkind, ProPublica, 27 Aug. 2025
Back in January, Lil Wayne, who is a Green Bay Packers fan, shared his less than positive reaction to the Kansas City Chiefs' 23-14 victory against the Houston Texans on X, criticizing the referees for making controversial calls.
—Ashlyn Robinette, People.com, 27 Aug. 2025
Verb
About 30 years ago, Huggins began calling basketball games, leading him to referee in Lamar and other nearby cities.
—Saleen Martin, USA Today, 4 July 2025
Ponder, a retiree from Oklahoma who referees pickleball games, met Grubbs in 2017 at an international tournament in Spain.
—Alexandria Burris, IndyStar, 2 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for referee
Recent Examples of Synonyms for referee
Noun
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Jazz Chisholm also expressed frustration with the umpire after he was called out on strikes.—
Chantz Martin,
FOXNews.com,
6 Sep. 2025
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Johnson grabbed the bat and gathered with the three other umpires in his crew.—
Brendan Kuty,
New York Times,
5 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Clinton has decided to join a direct rival even though City will not be competing in the Champions League this season.—
Charlotte Harpur,
New York Times,
6 Sep. 2025
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Related Stories When Ema disappears and tragedy is covered up, Daniel faces betrayal and decides to seek revenge before leaving.—
Emiliano De Pablos,
Variety,
5 Sep. 2025
Noun
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While the former army officer impressed judges with her delicate sugar work and love of French patisserie, navigating life after her win proved unexpectedly difficult.—
Jane LaCroix,
PEOPLE,
8 Sep. 2025
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The Herald filed a letter to the judge on Thursday.—
Julie K. Brown Miami Herald,
Arkansas Online,
7 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Science is never settled For decades, it was assumed that AHE was always spin-driven and only occurred in magnetic materials.—
Christopher McFadden,
Interesting Engineering,
6 Sep. 2025
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Keough said her grandmother tried to settle Lisa Marie's estate less than 24 hours after her death in 2023.—
Wesley Stenzel,
Entertainment Weekly,
6 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The Office of the Inspector General launched a criminal investigation and determined the shots had been fired from where two FBI agents and an Oregon State Police officer had been standing.—
Nicole Blanchard,
Idaho Statesman,
7 Sep. 2025
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The first thing her soon-to-be husband did was fly to North Carolina to bring their youngest daughter home from camp, determined to have the entire family together for the special day.—
Tereza Shkurtaj,
PEOPLE,
7 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The charges are adjudicated through what's known as the Office of Student Conflict Resolution, a university service that facilitates dialogue and offers mediation services to students.—
John Wisely,
Freep.com,
28 Aug. 2025
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When adjudicating a request filed on Form I-129 involving the same parties and the same underlying facts, USCIS gives deference to its prior determination of the petitioner’s, applicant's, or beneficiary's eligibility.—
Stuart Anderson,
Forbes.com,
28 Aug. 2025
Verb
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In the event a matter must be arbitrated before a neutral arbitrator, the arbitration provision could nonetheless spell out certain criteria that the league believes are important to the league’s interests and which the arbitrator must consider in reaching a decision.—
Chris Deubert,
Forbes.com,
22 Aug. 2025
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The panel further critiqued the commissioner as in a conflicted position to arbitrate.—
Michael McCann,
Sportico.com,
14 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Referee.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/referee. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.
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