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
Joe Nguyen, Denver Post, 26 Oct. 2025
Hurzeler was right not to blame referee Anthony Taylor for his team’s shortcomings.
—Andy Naylor, New York Times, 26 Oct. 2025
Sam Leveridge, Forbes.com, 31 Aug. 2025
His refereeing prowess gets him a ticket to ref a big match in Plano against Plano South, where the Arlen mayor will be in attendance.
—Jake Harris, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 29 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for referee
Noun
Dre Greenlaw, of course, got hit with a one-game suspension for chasing and verbally threatening referee Brad Allen, according to the NFL, which was upheld on appeal.
—Joe Nguyen, Denver Post, 26 Oct. 2025
Hurzeler was right not to blame referee Anthony Taylor for his team’s shortcomings.
—Andy Naylor, New York Times, 26 Oct. 2025
Verb
Amid the debate and fury surrounding refereeing standards in La Liga, accusations of bias are commonplace.
—Sam Leveridge, Forbes.com, 31 Aug. 2025
His refereeing prowess gets him a ticket to ref a big match in Plano against Plano South, where the Arlen mayor will be in attendance.
—Jake Harris, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 29 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for referee
Recent Examples of Synonyms for referee
Noun
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Vitello himself was suspended four games by the NCAA for chest-bumping an umpire during an argument in 2022.—
Evan Webeck,
Mercury News,
23 Oct. 2025
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The umpire called Robinson safe, while Berra animatedly disagreed.—
Angela Andaloro,
PEOPLE,
18 Oct. 2025
Verb
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However, before Eleven Labs even had a concrete product, Reina, who was working at Palantir Technologies at the time, decided to take a chance on the firm after meeting Staniszewski.—
Sawdah Bhaimiya,
CNBC,
25 Oct. 2025
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Congress decided to make daylight saving time permanent for two years from 1973 to 1975, extending the hours of daily sunlight year-round to conserve energy during the oil embargo crisis.—
Haadiza Ogwude,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
25 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Six months after a high-profile arrest and indictment of a judge at the Milwaukee County Courthouse complex, the county's chief judge has yet to issue a formal policy about what leeway federal immigration agents have to operate in the county's halls of justice.—
Vanessa Swales,
jsonline.com,
27 Oct. 2025
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Dylan, Olivia and Karagach's performance earned them 36/40 from the judges and plenty of high praise.—
Charlotte Phillipp,
PEOPLE,
26 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Steve Coppell’s team were settled and, in Wright and Mark Bright, blessed with one of the most potent strike partnerships in the country.—
Matt Woosnam,
New York Times,
25 Oct. 2025
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Then, a month after Sheen settled in, a typhoon destroyed over half of the sets created for the film, causing production to halt once again.—
Angela Andaloro,
PEOPLE,
25 Oct. 2025
Verb
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From there, Bishop, along with the medical team at Portsmouth, sought to determine more about his prognosis and the potential solution.—
Tom Burrows,
New York Times,
25 Oct. 2025
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The medical examiner on Friday determined that the student died by suicide.—
Joshua Rhett Miller,
MSNBC Newsweek,
25 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The ruling partially reversed a previous appeals court decision, finding that the original trial court correctly adjudicated the charge of accommodation discrimination.—
Samantha Riedel,
Them.,
23 Oct. 2025
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Each claim has to be adjudicated.—
Aldo Svaldi,
Denver Post,
18 Oct. 2025
Verb
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International investment treaty disputes are arbitrated under a third-party institution that employs attorneys who specialize in international law and have no particular ties to either party.—
Preston Fore,
Fortune,
11 Sep. 2025
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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
Cite this Entry
“Referee.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/referee. Accessed 29 Oct. 2025.
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