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
Joe Smith, New York Times, 7 May 2026
That was the year Beyoncé was forced to play referee between husband Jay-Z and younger sister Solange, who started shouting at, hitting and kicking at the hip-hop billionaire.
—Jami Ganz, New York Daily News, 5 May 2026
Chelsea Brasted, Southern Living, 12 Mar. 2026
Since at least the war in Vietnam, courts have refused to referee disputes between the President and Congress over war powers.
—Ruth Marcus, New Yorker, 5 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for referee
Noun
In another post-whistle scrum, he got punched in the face by Parker Kelly, spending a couple of shifts after that getting in the ear of referee Graham Skilliter.
—Joe Smith, New York Times, 7 May 2026
That was the year Beyoncé was forced to play referee between husband Jay-Z and younger sister Solange, who started shouting at, hitting and kicking at the hip-hop billionaire.
—Jami Ganz, New York Daily News, 5 May 2026
Verb
The building that houses this establishment has hosted gambling, cockfighting, a gallery, a dance hall, and even boxing matches once refereed by Ernest Hemingway himself.
—Chelsea Brasted, Southern Living, 12 Mar. 2026
Since at least the war in Vietnam, courts have refused to referee disputes between the President and Congress over war powers.
—Ruth Marcus, New Yorker, 5 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for referee
Recent Examples of Synonyms for referee
Noun
-
Story wasn’t happy after being plunked in the numbers, and plate umpire Adam Beck stepped between him and the mound.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
6 May 2026
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But Graham Pauley lined out to right for the second out; the second-base umpire ruled Caissie was thrown out at second on the play, but that call was reversed on replay.—
Barry Jackson,
Miami Herald,
6 May 2026
Verb
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The council voted unanimously Thursday to shift away from deciding how many bus stops the new law will affect, leaving that decision up to the county’s regional planning agency — the San Diego Association of Governments — to make in coming weeks.—
David Garrick,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
9 May 2026
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So there is nothing to be decided at this time.—
Andrew Marantz,
New Yorker,
9 May 2026
Noun
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That same week, a Cook County judge agreed to postpone a hearing centered on Ford City’s closure until May 15 after some of the mall’s 16 remaining tenants complained.—
Audrey Pachuta,
Chicago Tribune,
9 May 2026
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During their unsuccessful electoral campaign to defeat the new maps, Republicans highlighted the legal confusion around the vote and urged judges to stop it.—
Nicholas Wu,
semafor.com,
8 May 2026
Verb
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The race there begins somberly in the museum before runners bound up one flight of stairs into a hallway that leads into the main stairwell; from there, the steps settle into continuous, shallow right turns providing a repetitive, hypnotic cadence.—
Michelle Sinclair Colman,
Curbed,
7 May 2026
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The administration has also settled three deals with developers of more nascent offshore projects, paying back lease fees to the tune of nearly $2 billion in taxpayer dollars for the projects to not be built.—
Ella Nilsen,
CNN Money,
7 May 2026
Verb
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The process to adopt a child from foster care includes training, interviews, and home visits to determine if adoption is right for you.—
MARE Staff,
Boston Herald,
10 May 2026
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Investigators determined that Skuce hired Logan Delp to kill Sheppard in order to prevent him from gaining custody or further visitation with his child.—
Michael Sinkewicz,
FOXNews.com,
10 May 2026
Verb
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The lawsuit, put forward by Fridley and Duluth public schools as well as the state's largest educator union, will go on, and immigration agents will be permitted near school grounds while the case is adjudicated.—
Beret Leone,
CBS News,
11 May 2026
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The denaturalization process must be adjudicated in federal court, as either criminal or civil cases.—
Eduardo Cuevas,
USA Today,
9 May 2026
Verb
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Meanwhile, the leaders reported that the core business of the guild — paying residuals, arbitrating credit disputes, and so on — continues, though the guild’s offices, theater and library remain closed.—
Gene Maddaus,
Variety,
28 Apr. 2026
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The Google mass arbitration may be the first to seek to represent corporate plaintiffs, as most of the group legal proceedings to date have sought to arbitrate consumer or labor-related claims.—
Bloomberg,
Mercury News,
14 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Referee.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/referee. Accessed 14 May. 2026.
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