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: a person who reviews a paper and especially a technical paper and recommends that it should or should not be published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
Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 20 Jan. 2025
Fighters like Dominick Cruz seemingly hate referee intervention and would prefer to be put to sleep with a strike than to have a fight stopped.
—Brian Mazique, Forbes, 20 Jan. 2025
Guillermo Rai, The Athletic, 10 Jan. 2025
Shanahan then appeared to appeal to referee Shawn Smith, to no avail.
—Cam Inman, The Mercury News, 5 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for referee 
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Noun
Following the Chiefs’ 23-14 win Saturday over the Houston Texans, referee Clay Martin spoke with a pool reporter about two roughing penalties on hits to quarterback Patrick Mahomes.
—Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 20 Jan. 2025
Fighters like Dominick Cruz seemingly hate referee intervention and would prefer to be put to sleep with a strike than to have a fight stopped.
—Brian Mazique, Forbes, 20 Jan. 2025
Verb
At half-time, both players went to referee Ricardo de Burgos Bengoetxea to ask for explanations.
—Guillermo Rai, The Athletic, 10 Jan. 2025
Shanahan then appeared to appeal to referee Shawn Smith, to no avail.
—Cam Inman, The Mercury News, 5 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for referee
Dictionary Entries Near referee
Cite this Entry
“Referee.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/referee. Accessed 24 Jan. 2025.
Copy CitationKids 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
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