referees 1 of 2

noun

plural of referee
as in umpires
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

referees

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of referee
as in judges
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 show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of referees
Noun
That said, England’s best VARs are still predominantly EPL referees, too. — Graham Scott, New York Times, 25 Aug. 2026 The state compared Atrium to a soccer team whining about the referees. — Bob Herman, STAT, 18 Aug. 2026 Dulcich would have also been flagged for holding a few times if referees were at practice. — Omar Kelly, Miami Herald, 17 Aug. 2026 The league office needs to send a directive to all team owners, coaches, players and referees, to stop this behavior and play like professionals. — Los Angeles Times, 15 Aug. 2026 The other problem is that the referees addressed that exact question after the game. — Ian Miller Outkick, FOXNews.com, 13 Aug. 2026 In the early hours of the following morning, four referees who officiated the match were allegedly taken to a massage parlor by the KFA, which spent 760,000 Korean won ($536). — Jessie Yeung, CNN Money, 12 Aug. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for referees
  1. umpires
  2. judges
  3. decides
  4. determines
  5. settles
Noun
  • Managers or pitching coaches making mound visits will sometimes signal toward umpires for a timeout.
    — Chandler Rome, New York Times, 23 Aug. 2026
  • But the umpires thought otherwise and forced him to pull Brown.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 22 Aug. 2026
Definition of umpires
Verb
  • MasterChef Australia judges Yeow and Sofia Levin later spoke to 10 News about welcoming Meghan to the set, describing an enthusiastic atmosphere among the contestants.
    — Erin Hill, PEOPLE, 23 July 2026
  • Which means Beijing is regulating what your fifteen-year-old does after dinner, behind a closed door, with an entity that never tires of them, never judges them, and never has a bad day of its own.
    — Jason Snyder, Forbes.com, 17 July 2026
Definition of judges
Verb
  • So Issa decides to bring out the real Paul Baker by inviting over all his bros.
    — Ben Rosenstock, Vulture, 28 Aug. 2026
  • Petitioners can move to gather signatures only if a judge decides that the recall charges meet the legal requirements for the process.
    — Zachary Fletcher, USA Today, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of decides
Verb
  • That surrounding architecture determines whether an AI initiative remains an impressive demonstration or becomes a durable operating capability across the enterprise at scale.
    — Bratin Saha, Forbes.com, 21 Aug. 2026
  • The physical location of the collision (not your home address or where your car is registered) generally determines which state’s liability rules apply.
    — Matthew Kayser, Kansas City Star, 20 Aug. 2026
Definition of determines
Verb
  • The end result is that, as everyone settles on one side of the parenthood fence or the other, many pick the side with people a lot like themselves.
    — Olga Khazan, The Atlantic, 20 Aug. 2026
  • Removing a single record rarely settles the issue, and aiming for total invisibility is neither realistic nor a reliable defense.
    — Control Risks, Forbes.com, 20 Aug. 2026
Definition of settles

Browse Nearby Words

refereeing
referees
reference
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Referees.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/referees. Accessed 29 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of kith

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

Commonly Misspelled Words
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

Even More Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

The Words of the Week - Aug. 28

Why do we say 'break a leg'?
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
skateboard-dog-hat
Wordmaxxing Slang Quiz Give your vocabulary a glow up by getting sendy w...
See All