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
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
Zach Harper, New York Times, 3 June 2026
Players covering their mouth with a hand, arm or shirt will be given red cards if referees deem it not to be a friendly conversation, FIFA said.
—Tim Reynolds, Chicago Tribune, 2 June 2026
Mini Vikingo hit a springboard dropkick behind the referees back, and Wagner followed up with a Made in Japan on Vikingo for a nearfall.
—Alfred Konuwa, Forbes.com, 31 May 2026
Looking back, the final is marked out by intentional fouling, the first red card in a World Cup final and plenty of simulation, including diving – a ploy players use to deceive referees and get a favorable call.
—Cesar R. Torres, The Conversation, 26 May 2026
Noun
That’s a pretty good crop of referees, according to the players.
—Zach Harper, New York Times, 3 June 2026
Players covering their mouth with a hand, arm or shirt will be given red cards if referees deem it not to be a friendly conversation, FIFA said.
—Tim Reynolds, Chicago Tribune, 2 June 2026
Mini Vikingo hit a springboard dropkick behind the referees back, and Wagner followed up with a Made in Japan on Vikingo for a nearfall.
—Alfred Konuwa, Forbes.com, 31 May 2026
Looking back, the final is marked out by intentional fouling, the first red card in a World Cup final and plenty of simulation, including diving – a ploy players use to deceive referees and get a favorable call.
—Cesar R. Torres, The Conversation, 26 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for referees
Noun
-
After conferring, the umpires agreed, ruling her out.—
Rick Armstrong,
Chicago Tribune,
28 May 2026
-
Nor does Moeller have to confer with the umpires’ crew chief over lightning in the area or forecasted rain that might halt play in the middle innings.—
Tom Layberger,
Forbes.com,
26 May 2026
Verb
-
The truck just leans into the work and gets on with life like a ranch foreman who drinks coffee black and silently judges your hitch setup.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
27 May 2026
-
Portnoy travels to cities around the world and judges their pizza scene by taking a single bite (or more) of a cheese pizza and giving it a review.—
Irene Wright,
USA Today,
26 May 2026
Verb
-
Now, technology decides everything.—
Nick Paton Walsh,
CNN Money,
30 May 2026
-
Deborah decides to pursue treatment after all, if only to buy enough time to work a little more.—
Nicholas Quah,
Vulture,
29 May 2026
Verb
-
This second parameter determines how many neutrinos can be created, the neutrino flux (the intensity of a stream), and how many gamma-rays are created.—
Robert Lea,
Space.com,
28 May 2026
-
Since not all companies think this way, entrepreneur Jordan Buich dedicates much of his time to fleshing out the infrastructure that determines how companies become understood, trusted, and valued by the market.—
Matthew Kayser,
USA Today,
28 May 2026
Verb
-
As the dust settles on a campaign that began with high hopes and ended with a sense of blessed relief, here is The Athletic’s end-of-season review.—
Paul Taylor,
New York Times,
27 May 2026
-
Traditional finance keeps the issuer of an instrument separate from the infrastructure that clears and settles it.—
Zennon Kapron,
Forbes.com,
26 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Referees.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/referees. Accessed 5 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
