referral

[ri-fur-uhl]

noun

1. an act of referring; the state of being referred.

2. an instance of referring.

3. a person recommended to someone or for something.

Word History and Origins

Origin of referral¹

First recorded in 1930–35; refer + -al ²

Example Sentences

"We're taking the pressure off the GPs by taking care of minor eye conditions and we're taking pressure off the ophthalmology hospital clinics because they're not filled with unnecessary referrals," he said.

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To read this brief, one would assume parents are barely involved in the process of getting a referral, setting up an appointment or deciding why therapy is even needed to begin with.

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The force said it received a referral from the Action Fraud cyber crime reporting service on 25 September detailing a ransomware attack.

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Little Village, which has hubs in Camden, Wandsworth, Brent, Hackney and Hounslow, receives referrals to its services from local community professionals, such as midwives, who come across families in need.

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As many as a third of those referrals are prompted by stress and anxiety over ICE activity, she said.

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Related Words

• barometer 
• criterion 
• frame of reference 
• touchstone 
• yardstick