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
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
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Recent Examples of referees
Melanie Anzidei, New York Times, 2 Oct. 2025
The referees missed this one, and there's no other way to describe it.
—Drew Vonscio, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Sep. 2025
Blaming the officials is always easy and fun, but TCU’s first loss of the season can’t be put on the referees.
—Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 27 Sep. 2025
Multiple people close to Clark, including Cunningham, Fever Coach Stephanie White and even Clark's brother have spoken out about questionable treatment of the WNBA phenom by referees.
—Jackson Thompson, FOXNews.com, 20 Sep. 2025
Peer review is often taken to be the gold standard for science, where if a scientific paper can pass peer review, that means it’s been reviewed by editors and referees to be correct, and that others vouch for it.
—Ethan Siegel, Big Think, 19 Sep. 2025
In the past year, there has been talk of the Chiefs being lucky, getting help from the referees, etc.
—Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 11 Sep. 2025
Yet, Springfield Central coach William Watson and his group remained on the field, as the referees stood silently.
—Brendan Connelly, Boston Herald, 7 Sep. 2025
These students eventually become professors, referees and editors.
—Shivaram Rajgopal, Forbes.com, 6 Sep. 2025
Noun
The ball technology is designed to send precise ball data to the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) system in real time, which can help quicken the pace of a match by providing referees with more information to help make faster decisions for calls like offsides.
—Melanie Anzidei, New York Times, 2 Oct. 2025
The referees missed this one, and there's no other way to describe it.
—Drew Vonscio, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Sep. 2025
Blaming the officials is always easy and fun, but TCU’s first loss of the season can’t be put on the referees.
—Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 27 Sep. 2025
Multiple people close to Clark, including Cunningham, Fever Coach Stephanie White and even Clark's brother have spoken out about questionable treatment of the WNBA phenom by referees.
—Jackson Thompson, FOXNews.com, 20 Sep. 2025
Peer review is often taken to be the gold standard for science, where if a scientific paper can pass peer review, that means it’s been reviewed by editors and referees to be correct, and that others vouch for it.
—Ethan Siegel, Big Think, 19 Sep. 2025
In the past year, there has been talk of the Chiefs being lucky, getting help from the referees, etc.
—Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 11 Sep. 2025
Yet, Springfield Central coach William Watson and his group remained on the field, as the referees stood silently.
—Brendan Connelly, Boston Herald, 7 Sep. 2025
These students eventually become professors, referees and editors.
—Shivaram Rajgopal, Forbes.com, 6 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for referees
Noun
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This zone is crucial for pitch framing, where catchers use their presentation to influence umpires into calling borderline pitches strikes.—
Patrick Saunders,
Denver Post,
27 Sep. 2025
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Springer’s comments suggested that the umpires were actively looking for ways to drive the Blue Jays down in the standings so that the Yankees could take the division.—
Peter Chawaga,
MSNBC Newsweek,
25 Sep. 2025
Verb
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As West reports, Dubno’s update puts us in the head of an unnamed twentysomething who judges her peers at a cocktail party.—
Brittany Allen,
Literary Hub,
25 Sep. 2025
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Along with hosting Taskmaster, Horne serves as the umpire for each challenge, while Davies judges the performances and awards points on how well the contestants do.—
Jason Pham,
StyleCaster,
25 Sep. 2025
Verb
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In an interview with Variety in April 2023, Coelen shared that the crew often decides who will reveal their decision first at the altar.—
Samantha Stutsman,
PEOPLE,
2 Oct. 2025
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Snoopy decides to cook his own version of a Thanksgiving meal with help from his friends.—
Tanya Wildt,
Freep.com,
2 Oct. 2025
Verb
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This is the real-world psychology that determines relationship success or failure, and many matchmakers overlook these deeper patterns.—
Connie Etemadi,
USA Today,
2 Oct. 2025
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Congress, the legislative branch of the federal government, determines how to fund departments in the executive branch.—
John Tufts,
IndyStar,
1 Oct. 2025
Verb
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But today, Don Swift settles all family business.—
Rolling Stone,
Rolling Stone,
3 Oct. 2025
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Get a FanCash refund if your bet settles as a loss.—
Tyler Everett,
MSNBC Newsweek,
2 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Referees.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/referees. Accessed 8 Oct. 2025.
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