as in decided
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
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Recent Examples of refereed
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
Smith, 54, has been an official for 11 seasons and has refereed 10 postseason games.
—Matt Barrows, New York Times, 1 Feb. 2026
Preckwinkle and the County Board authorized the Tyler contract, and her Bureau of Technology has refereed its implementation.
—A.d. Quig, Chicago Tribune, 26 Jan. 2026
Nicole Blanchard, Idaho Statesman, 27 Feb. 2026
Smith, 54, has been an official for 11 seasons and has refereed 10 postseason games.
—Matt Barrows, New York Times, 1 Feb. 2026
Preckwinkle and the County Board authorized the Tyler contract, and her Bureau of Technology has refereed its implementation.
—A.d. Quig, Chicago Tribune, 26 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for refereed
Verb
-
Tobin plans to name something off the menu after Garrett, but hasn’t decided what and hopes to get more photos of him on the wall to commemorate his impact.—
Noelle Alviz-Gransee
March 15,
Kansas City Star,
15 Mar. 2026
-
Instead of tucking her poem away in a notebook, Santos decided to publish it in 2021.—
Pam Kragen,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
15 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Venezuela then took a brief 2-1 lead after opening the second inning with back-to-back doubles from Ezequiel Tovar and Gleyber Torres against Yamamoto, who settled in after that to hold Venezuela to just the two runs over four innings of work.—
Jordan McPherson,
Miami Herald,
15 Mar. 2026
-
By the late eighteen-sixties, landowners had settled on sharecropping—a system that kept agricultural workers, many of them former slaves, in perpetual debt—to rebuild their economic dominance after the Civil War.—
Boyce Upholt,
New Yorker,
14 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The United States and Israel either did not believe them or judged it a risk worth taking.—
Paula Hancocks,
CNN Money,
10 Mar. 2026
-
The range will be around 435 miles on the WLTP cycle, so a bit less when judged by EPA standards.—
Erik Shilling,
Robb Report,
10 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The space agency quickly determined that the 2022 strike trimmed the smaller asteroid’s orbit around its bigger companion.—
Marcia Dunn,
Los Angeles Times,
9 Mar. 2026
-
The new story follows the trio as ambitious young entrepreneurs on the rise, determined to make their mark on the streets of New York City.—
Rosy Cordero,
Deadline,
9 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Between October 2022 and June 2024, 90 percent of participants in Tarrant County’s Youth Advocate Programs services were not adjudicated or convicted of a new charge while enrolled, and 100 percent stayed enrolled in school, graduated, or earned a GED, according to Youth Advocate Programs.—
Kamal Morgan,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
1 Mar. 2026
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After he was deported last year, the Supreme Court ruled the government must facilitate his return so his removal could be adjudicated.—
Kaelan Deese,
The Washington Examiner,
27 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Thiago got his double from the spot with nine minutes remaining after Crysencio Summerville was adjudged to have pushed Michael Kayode.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
9 Mar. 2026
-
Dominic Solanke was adjudged to have made a fair challenge on City defender Marc Guehi in the act of scoring Tottenham’s first goal, something that annoyed manager Pep Guardiola and his players.—
Sam Lee,
New York Times,
13 Feb. 2026
Verb
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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
-
Alleged violations of these treaties are arbitrated through the Investor State Dispute Settlement system (ISDS), which has turned out to be a boon for fossil asset owners.—
JESSICA F. GREEN,
Foreign Affairs,
7 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Larry Gomez is 68 and has umpired Northern California Little League for 27 years.—
Katie Woo,
New York Times,
12 Feb. 2026
-
Ed Montague umpired for 34 seasons and recalls Bonds’s ability more clearly than most.—
Jeremy Collins,
The Atlantic,
12 Dec. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Refereed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/refereed. Accessed 17 Mar. 2026.
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