Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of referral
Explanation
A referral sends someone somewhere, often for help or advice. You'll need a referral from your doctor in order to see a specialist. You could also receive a referral for a job, if someone passes along your application. If you're dealing with a big company or institution, you might get tired of the endless referrals from one department to another. Remember that referral has two r's in the middle, “rr,” like a growl.
Vocabulary lists containing referral
"Efrén Divided" by Ernesto Cisneros, Chapters 1–5
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Half a World Away
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This Week in Words: Current Events Vocabulary for December 17–December 23, 2022
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
"The success rate in managing Ebola in Uganda has been good," said WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus during a visit to the Mulago National Referral Hospital in the capital, Kampala.
From Barron's • Jun. 8, 2026
Referral traffic to retail sites from generative-AI sources increased by 1,200% in October compared with the previous year.
From Barron's • Nov. 26, 2025
Dr. Owen Menach, who is on staff at Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital in the city of Eldoret, confirmed Cheptegei's death via multiple organ failure to the New York Times.
From Salon • Sep. 5, 2024
Augustus, Gershon and Vishal, along with six other crew members from Ghana, India and Sri Lanka, were taken into the National Referral Mechanism system and recognised by the Home Office as victims of modern slavery.
From BBC • Aug. 18, 2024
Other students had lived there; the hippie lived there himself; a receptionist at the Student Referral Office had told me about it.
From "The Secret History" by Donna Tartt
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
