referral

noun

re·​fer·​ral ri-ˈfər-əl How to pronounce referral (audio)
1
: the act, action, or an instance of referring
gave the patient a referral to a specialist
2
: one that is referred

Examples of referral in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Gannett may earn revenue for audience referrals to Jackpocket services. Jim Sergent, USA TODAY, 23 Mar. 2024 The committee did not immediately make a criminal referral, but members were hardly shy about passing the torch to Mr. Garland. Adam Goldman, New York Times, 22 Mar. 2024 Commissioners noted at the time if the prosecutors did not initiate charges within 60 days, the panel would take the referrals to another district attorney or the Wisconsin Department of Justice. Journal Sentinel, 22 Mar. 2024 The Randolph County Health Department will replace vital records — birth and death certificates — as well as offer referrals for health services. Karl Schneider, The Indianapolis Star, 20 Mar. 2024 Instead, the trigger for special education testing in every state is either parent or teacher referral. Suzie Glassman, Parents, 15 Mar. 2024 This year, there is a bumper crop of ballot referrals from state lawmakers — more than 70. Mary Jo Pitzl, The Arizona Republic, 3 Mar. 2024 Failure to remain seated on the bus was the most common offense, leading to more than 3,800 referrals, followed by fighting among students with 3,355. Rebecca Grapevine, The Courier-Journal, 1 Mar. 2024 Chesebro was also one of five Trump aides and lawyers to receive a criminal referral last December from the committee, following its 18-month investigation—along with Eastman, Trump’s former chief of staff Mark Meadows and attorneys Rudy Giuliani and Jeffrey Clark, as well as Trump himself. Brian Bushard, Forbes, 26 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'referral.' 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

1927, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of referral was in 1927

Dictionary Entries Near referral

Cite this Entry

“Referral.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/referral. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

referral

noun
re·​fer·​ral ri-ˈfər-əl How to pronounce referral (audio)
: the act or an instance of referring

Medical Definition

referral

noun
re·​fer·​ral ri-ˈfər-əl How to pronounce referral (audio)
1
: the process of directing or redirecting (as a medical case or a patient) to an appropriate specialist or agency for definitive treatment
2
: an individual that is referred

Legal Definition

referral

noun
re·​fer·​ral ri-ˈfər-əl How to pronounce referral (audio)
: the act or an instance of referring
appealed the referral of the bill to the Budget Committee

More from Merriam-Webster on referral

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