ref·er·ee
ˌre-fə-ˈrē 
1
: one to whom a thing is referred: such as
a
: a person to whom a legal matter is referred for investigation and report or for settlement
b
: a person who reviews a paper and especially a technical paper and recommends that it should or should not be published
c
chiefly British
: reference sense 4a
2
: a sports official usually having final authority in administering a game
refereed; refereeing
1
: to conduct (a match or game) as referee
2
a
: to arbitrate (something, such as a legal matter) as a judge or third party
b
: to review (something, such as a technical paper) before publication
: to act as a referee
Synonyms
Examples of referee in a Sentence
Noun
served as the unofficial referee in disputes over the family business
Verb
She refereed the basketball game.
He has refereed for several years now.
Recent Examples on the Web
Kevin Baxter, Los Angeles Times, 2 Apr. 2024
The chairman of the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio is supposed to act like an impartial referee, balancing the interests of utilities and customers − both large industrial users and average Ohioans paying their electrical bills.
—Jessie Balmert, The Enquirer, 1 Apr. 2024
Fox plans to give viewers unique looks at the action via drones, cameras in pylons and on players’ helmets and referees’ hats.
—Brian Steinberg, Variety, 29 Mar. 2024
Throughout the tournament, many have criticized Caitlin Clark for her intense behaviors on the court and towards the referees, stressing that her challenging of the officiating is disappointing.
—Lindsey Darvin, Forbes, 29 Mar. 2024
The referee, Stuart Attwell, showed Holgate a yellow card.
—Rory Smith, New York Times, 1 Mar. 2024
On the court, a referee led the pickleball action, while a crew of Smirnoff Smash Vodka Soda brand ambassadors and bystanders cheered on the players.
—James Dinh, Billboard, 25 Mar. 2024
Video footage shows Brazilian Jesus complaining to the referee and pointing at someone, before the official calls Acerbi over.
—Ben Church, CNN, 19 Mar. 2024
Trust used to flow upwards to leaders and experts, to referees and regulators.
—TIME, 17 Mar. 2024
Louisa Thomas, The New Yorker, 9 Mar. 2024
The National Basketball Association introduced Violet Palmer as its first-ever woman referee in 1997 and has since expanded the number of women referees working in the league.
—James Farrell, Forbes, 23 Feb. 2024
The clip above reveals audio from players, coaches, and referees right before a defensive stop by the Chiefs.
—USA TODAY, 14 Feb. 2024
After 42 years and more than 2,000 games refereeing high school and college basketball, including five state championships and two NCAA championship games, John Yorkovich of Stillwater is retiring at season’s end.
—Charley Walters, Twin Cities, 10 Feb. 2024
Animal lovers can expect to see Whistle refereeing most of Puppy Bowl 2024 from Schachner's arms.
—Kelli Bender, Peoplemag, 5 Feb. 2024
Taylor Swift has a bit of bad blood with the NFL officials refereeing Travis Kelce's game on Sunday.
—Bailey Richards, Peoplemag, 17 Dec. 2023
Fans are now flocking to the platform to encourage its chief technology officer, as well as offering training advice and making suggestions about who should referee the match.
—Eleanor Pringle, Fortune, 22 June 2023
In Week 1, referees flagged Jackson for unnecessary roughness on a helmet-to-helmet hit on Las Vegas Raiders receiver Jakobi Meyers.
—Chantz Martin, Fox News, 25 Oct. 2023
Noun
The final nail in the coffin came two years later when executives with five teams were accused of communicating with refereeing authorities to have specific referees officiate their respective fixtures.
—Kevin Baxter, Los Angeles Times, 2 Apr. 2024
The chairman of the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio is supposed to act like an impartial referee, balancing the interests of utilities and customers − both large industrial users and average Ohioans paying their electrical bills.
—Jessie Balmert, The Enquirer, 1 Apr. 2024
Fox plans to give viewers unique looks at the action via drones, cameras in pylons and on players’ helmets and referees’ hats.
—Brian Steinberg, Variety, 29 Mar. 2024
Throughout the tournament, many have criticized Caitlin Clark for her intense behaviors on the court and towards the referees, stressing that her challenging of the officiating is disappointing.
—Lindsey Darvin, Forbes, 29 Mar. 2024
The referee, Stuart Attwell, showed Holgate a yellow card.
—Rory Smith, New York Times, 1 Mar. 2024
On the court, a referee led the pickleball action, while a crew of Smirnoff Smash Vodka Soda brand ambassadors and bystanders cheered on the players.
—James Dinh, Billboard, 25 Mar. 2024
Video footage shows Brazilian Jesus complaining to the referee and pointing at someone, before the official calls Acerbi over.
—Ben Church, CNN, 19 Mar. 2024
Trust used to flow upwards to leaders and experts, to referees and regulators.
—TIME, 17 Mar. 2024
Verb
Steve Javie, the ref who dinged Paul Pierce for punching the air, has since retired from officiating, and now provides commentary on refereeing during ESPN and ABC broadcasts.
—Louisa Thomas, The New Yorker, 9 Mar. 2024
The National Basketball Association introduced Violet Palmer as its first-ever woman referee in 1997 and has since expanded the number of women referees working in the league.
—James Farrell, Forbes, 23 Feb. 2024
The clip above reveals audio from players, coaches, and referees right before a defensive stop by the Chiefs.
—USA TODAY, 14 Feb. 2024
After 42 years and more than 2,000 games refereeing high school and college basketball, including five state championships and two NCAA championship games, John Yorkovich of Stillwater is retiring at season’s end.
—Charley Walters, Twin Cities, 10 Feb. 2024
Animal lovers can expect to see Whistle refereeing most of Puppy Bowl 2024 from Schachner's arms.
—Kelli Bender, Peoplemag, 5 Feb. 2024
Taylor Swift has a bit of bad blood with the NFL officials refereeing Travis Kelce's game on Sunday.
—Bailey Richards, Peoplemag, 17 Dec. 2023
Fans are now flocking to the platform to encourage its chief technology officer, as well as offering training advice and making suggestions about who should referee the match.
—Eleanor Pringle, Fortune, 22 June 2023
In Week 1, referees flagged Jackson for unnecessary roughness on a helmet-to-helmet hit on Las Vegas Raiders receiver Jakobi Meyers.
—Chantz Martin, Fox News, 25 Oct. 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'referee.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
First Known Use
Noun
1549, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Verb
1883, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense
Dictionary Entries Near referee
Cite this Entry
“Referee.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/referee. Accessed 16 Apr. 2024.
Copy Citation
Kids Definition
referee
1 of 2 noun
ref·er·ee
ˌref-ə-ˈrē
1
: a person to whom something that is to be investigated or decided is referred
2
: a sports official usually having final authority in conducting a game
referee
2 of 2 verb
refereed; refereeing
: to conduct as a referee
Legal Definition
referee
noun
ref·er·ee
ˌre-fə-ˈrē
: an officer appointed by a court or quasi-judicial body (as a workers' compensation board) to investigate a case, report findings, and often to make orders subject to review
the board may affirm, reverse, modify or supplement the order of the referee—Oregon Revised Statutes
Oregon Revised Statutes
More from Merriam-Webster on referee
Nglish: Translation of referee for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of referee for Arabic Speakers
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about referee
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