refer
to direct for information or anything required: He referred me to books on astrology.
to direct the attention or thoughts of: The asterisk refers the reader to a footnote.
to hand over or submit for information, consideration, treatment, assistance, decision, etc.: They were forced to refer the argument to arbitration.The doctor will decide whether to carry out blood tests in the office or to refer the patient to a hospital.
to recommend: My electrician went above and beyond, and I would definitely refer her to a friend.
to assign to a class, period, etc.; regard as belonging or related: Animals referred to the phylum Platyhelminthes are also known as flatworms due to their flattened bodies.
refer to,
to have recourse or resort to; turn to, as for aid or information: I can't remember the answer offhand, so I'll have to refer to my notes.
to mention; speak briefly of: The author referred to his teachers twice in the article.
to relate to; apply to; mean or denote: The term “contingency fee” refers to an arrangement where legal fees are due to the attorney only if the case is successful.
to direct attention to, as a reference mark does: Each number refers to an endnote.
Origin of refer
1Other words for refer
Other words from refer
- ref·er·a·ble, re·fer·ra·ble, re·fer·ri·ble [ref-er-uh-buhl, ri-fur-], /ˈrɛf ər ə bəl, rɪˈfɜr-/, adjective
- re·fer·rer, noun
- mis·re·fer, verb, mis·re·ferred, mis·re·fer·ring.
- pre·re·fer, verb (used with object), pre·re·ferred, pre·re·fer·ring.
- un·re·ferred, adjective
- well-re·ferred, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use refer in a sentence
Fierce referred The Washington Post to Apple’s public relations team.
Apple is lobbying against a bill aimed at stopping forced labor in China | Reed Albergotti | November 20, 2020 | Washington PostAsked why Hogan’s administration agreed to pay the labs the same fee when the state also had to provide the test kit, Ricci referred The Post to health officials.
Hogan’s first batch of coronavirus tests from South Korea were flawed, never used | Steve Thompson | November 20, 2020 | Washington PostWhen asked how the virus may have entered the facility, Rice referred to research showing that high levels of community spread can often lead to nursing home outbreaks.
Maryland and Virginia nursing homes battle explosive covid-19 outbreaks — again | Rebecca Tan, Rachel Chason | November 20, 2020 | Washington PostYou only have to hear how television executives refer to games — above all else they are “inventory” — to understand exactly why these contests are being staged.
College football has been battered by covid. What’s most startling is our acceptance. | Barry Svrluga | November 20, 2020 | Washington PostThe ProPublica investigation this year documented just such a crash on New York’s Long Island in 2016 that left Jillian Brown with an injury medical journals refer to as “internal decapitation.”
House Subcommittee Says Proposed Booster Seat Safety Rules Fall Short | by Patricia Callahan | November 19, 2020 | ProPublica
Hell, he says Koenig never referred to it as Serial or even as a podcast.
The Deal With Serial’s Jay? He’s Pissed Off, Mucks Up Our Timeline | Emily Shire | December 31, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTTo the ROK and U.S. soldiers stationed in the JSA, it is unironically referred to as Freedom Village.
Propaganda, Protest, and Poisonous Vipers: The Cinema War in Korea | Rich Goldstein | December 30, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTThe NRA opposes him because he referred to gun violence as a “public-health crisis.”
Dressed in golden garments, Perrers was referred to as "The Lady of the Sun" by the king.
The Sex Life of King Richard III's Randy Great Great Great Grandfather | Tom Sykes | December 4, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTAnd the media, meanwhile, has referred to her as every label under the sun, from “a man” to “transsexual.”
Exclusive: Michael Phelps’s Intersex Self-Proclaimed Girlfriend, Taylor Lianne Chandler, Tells All | Aurora Snow | November 26, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTThe reader is referred to larger works upon urinalysis for details.
A Manual of Clinical Diagnosis | James Campbell ToddIt is not, however, the incident in itself that is now referred to, but only the formality ascribed to it in the narrative.
Solomon and Solomonic Literature | Moncure Daniel ConwayThe Minister pointed out to them the attendant difficulties, and referred them to the Prime Minister.
The Philippine Islands | John ForemanFor over 300 years the country slumbered in ignorance of all that referred to its rights and political liberties.
The Philippine Islands | John ForemanOn the occasion referred to, some of our men, in their burrowing, threw out a considerable quantity of asbestos.
Asbestos | Robert H. Jones
British Dictionary definitions for refer
/ (rɪˈfɜː) /
(intr) to make mention (of)
(tr) to direct the attention of (someone) for information, facts, etc: the reader is referred to Chomsky, 1965
(intr) to seek information (from): I referred to a dictionary of English usage; he referred to his notes
(intr) to be relevant (to); pertain or relate (to): this song refers to an incident in the Civil War
(tr) to assign or attribute: Cromwell referred his victories to God
(tr) to hand over for consideration, reconsideration, or decision: to refer a complaint to another department
(tr) to hand back to the originator as unacceptable or unusable
(tr) British to fail (a student) in an examination
(tr) British to send back (a thesis) to a student for improvement
refer to drawer a request by a bank that the payee consult the drawer concerning a cheque payable by that bank (usually because the drawer has insufficient funds in his account), payment being suspended in the meantime
(tr) to direct (a patient) for treatment to another doctor, usually a specialist
(tr) social welfare to direct (a client) to another agency or professional for a service
Origin of refer
1usage For refer
Derived forms of refer
- referable (ˈrɛfərəbəl) or referrable (rɪˈfɜːrəbəl), adjective
- referral, noun
- referrer, noun
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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