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
ABC News, 4 Mar. 2026
Is there a solution to referees work schedules?
—Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 4 Mar. 2026
And that’s not including the whooping and hollering at the referees all night, particularly when a flagrant foul was called on Bronco junior forward Andrew Meadow.
—Shaun Goodwin, Idaho Statesman, 4 Mar. 2026
During the third quarter, Houston’s Tari Eason shoved Washington’s Jamir Watkins to the floor, an incident that did not draw a whistle from the referees.
—Los Angeles Times, 3 Mar. 2026
The referees had to huddle, with teams and spectators holding their breath, before coming to the conclusion that Winter Park’s final bucket came too late to count — giving Lake Mary a historic 34-33 victory.
—Buddy Collings, The Orlando Sentinel, 1 Mar. 2026
Republicans cast themselves as referees protecting electoral fairness.
—Jay Caruso, The Washington Examiner, 27 Feb. 2026
The referees quickly skated over to pull Tkachuk away and promptly handed him a 10-minute misconduct penalty.
—Ryan Canfield, FOXNews.com, 27 Feb. 2026
Clark said referees heard the comment come from a section in which many Loyola student spectators were seated but could not identify the individual who made it.
—Daniel I. Dorfman, Chicago Tribune, 27 Feb. 2026
Noun
Two referees, multiple teammates and staff members quickly worked to separate the women and a referee was knocked to the ground in the melee.
—ABC News, 4 Mar. 2026
Is there a solution to referees work schedules?
—Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 4 Mar. 2026
And that’s not including the whooping and hollering at the referees all night, particularly when a flagrant foul was called on Bronco junior forward Andrew Meadow.
—Shaun Goodwin, Idaho Statesman, 4 Mar. 2026
During the third quarter, Houston’s Tari Eason shoved Washington’s Jamir Watkins to the floor, an incident that did not draw a whistle from the referees.
—Los Angeles Times, 3 Mar. 2026
The referees had to huddle, with teams and spectators holding their breath, before coming to the conclusion that Winter Park’s final bucket came too late to count — giving Lake Mary a historic 34-33 victory.
—Buddy Collings, The Orlando Sentinel, 1 Mar. 2026
Republicans cast themselves as referees protecting electoral fairness.
—Jay Caruso, The Washington Examiner, 27 Feb. 2026
The referees quickly skated over to pull Tkachuk away and promptly handed him a 10-minute misconduct penalty.
—Ryan Canfield, FOXNews.com, 27 Feb. 2026
Clark said referees heard the comment come from a section in which many Loyola student spectators were seated but could not identify the individual who made it.
—Daniel I. Dorfman, Chicago Tribune, 27 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for referees
Noun
-
Human umpires will continue to call balls and strikes.—
Jeff Sanders,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
27 Feb. 2026
-
The creativity wasn’t approved by the umpires.—
Eric Sondheimer,
Los Angeles Times,
23 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
When smearing peanut butter on bread, the robot watches the knife deflect down and crush the bread and judges forces from that.—
Deni Ellis Béchard,
Scientific American,
2 Mar. 2026
-
But Herzog never judges or condescends to Treadwell, even if his involvement in documenting the fallout becomes increasingly complicated.—
Eric Farwell,
Entertainment Weekly,
21 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
That’s if his county decides to enact a sales tax, the proceeds of which would have to be applied to homeowner property tax credits.—
Meghan O'Brien,
States Newsroom,
27 Feb. 2026
-
Under Arizona rules, the person who claims the prize is the person who signs the ticket, but if the court decides the ticket legally belongs to Circle K, the company could argue that it be awarded the prize.—
Miguel Torres,
AZCentral.com,
27 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
But according to Vana, Amazon determines the order of search results using a formula that considers many factors, including the number of reviews and the average rating — suggesting that more reviews and higher ratings help get a seller's products placed higher in search results.—
James Doubek,
NPR,
26 Feb. 2026
-
The company, in consultation with the seller and their agent and after a home inspection, determines a fair selling price.—
Lew Sichelman,
Miami Herald,
26 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
And while the first half of this season felt overstuffed with subplots, its second half settles more evenly into all of them, including the woes and romances of both London’s elite and its more lower-class members.—
Kate Erbland,
IndieWire,
26 Feb. 2026
-
Over time, that greasy film that settles on your wood cabinets can trap dirt and dust, making the buildup hard to remove.—
Karen Brewer Grossman,
Southern Living,
25 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Referees.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/referees. Accessed 6 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
