officiate
Americanverb (used without object)
verb (used with object)
-
to serve as the priest or minister of (a divine service, religious ceremony, etc.).
-
to perform, carry out, or fulfill (an official duty or function).
-
to act as a referee, umpire, timekeeper, or other official for (a sports contest or game).
verb
-
to hold the position, responsibility, or function of an official
-
to conduct a religious or other ceremony
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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officiatesimple
-
officiatessimple
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have officiatedperfect
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has officiatedperfect
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am officiatingprogressive
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are officiatingprogressive
-
is officiatingprogressive
-
have been officiatingperfect progressive
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has been officiatingperfect progressive
Past
-
officiatedsimple
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had officiatedperfect
-
was officiatingprogressive
-
were officiatingprogressive
-
had been officiatingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of officiate
First recorded in 1625–35; from Medieval Latin officiātus (past participle of officiāre “to serve”), equivalent to Latin offici(um) “service, duty” + -ātus, past participle suffix; see office, -ate 1
Explanation
To officiate is to preside over a ceremony, or to be the person in charge. At most weddings, a religious leader or judge officiates. A rabbi might officiate during your cousin's wedding, or the happy couple might ask a friend to officiate. When an official acts in some official way, they also officiate. A referee, for example, officiates at a hockey game, and a town's mayor might officiate at the grand opening of a new library. Officiate, as of the seventeenth century, mainly meant "perform the duty of a priest," from the Latin root officium, "kindness," or "official duty," and also "church service."
Vocabulary lists containing officiate
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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.
See Examples For:
Today the Scandinavian nation is the only place in Europe’s top 30 leagues to still officiate games the old-fashioned way.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 13, 2026
Not disconnected from the action it is trying to officiate.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 8, 2026
The night before a brutal semifinal, Mussolini reportedly dined with the Swedish referee—who went on to officiate the final too.
From Slate ● Jun. 11, 2026
Referee Omar Artan has vowed to officiate at the 2030 World Cup after arriving home in Somalia following his ban from entering the United States.
From BBC ● Jun. 10, 2026
He's wearing blue jeans, a kurta, and a saffron scarf draped around his neck—and is smiling as if he's about to officiate a wedding instead of a shradh ceremony.
From "You Bring the Distant Near" by Mitali Perkins
Meler, 37, is one of Turkey's top referees and officiates international games for Fifa.
From BBC ● Dec. 11, 2023
A referee officiates, while judges among the crowd deliver their verdicts in cases when there is no obvious winner.
From Seattle Times ● Dec. 4, 2021
Cantor Rachel Goldman doesn’t often stay for the reception at the weddings she officiates, to “keep things professional,” as she put it.
From New York Times ● Apr. 16, 2021
Talk about having some serious street cred at the next hockey game he officiates.
From Golf Digest ● Aug. 6, 2019
A magistrate officiates sometimes, and his name is given accordingly.
From Toronto of Old by Scadding, Henry
Only late in life did he learn his father officiated Muhammad Ali’s wedding.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 5, 2026
Roberts said the couple "wrote their own vows," and Stephanopoulos talked about Swift and Kelce having "little books" with them, as comedian Adam Sandler officiated.
From Barron's ● Jul. 4, 2026
At the end of the year he refereed two group games at the Africa Cup of Nations, having also officiated at the tournament in 2024.
From BBC ● Jun. 9, 2026
Deepak Chopra, who officiated, wore a jacket embroidered with an image of the night sky the day the couple met.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 19, 2026
She would spend the next few weeks tracking down the new form, filling it out with all the required documentation, and having it officiated and notarized.
From "Everything Sad Is Untrue" by Daniel Nayeri
Sweden is the only country among Europe’s top 30 soccer leagues that has not adopted the video assistant referee officiating system.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 13, 2026
The saying is used most frequently in basketball when someone is complaining about an officiating call.
From Barron's ● Jun. 18, 2026
Atkins thought the lack of game flow because of new officiating standards might be making things harder.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 14, 2026
Even at his own funeral, the officiating rabbi described him as “a symbol of the malaise of our generation.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 12, 2026
He asked her to get the death certificate from the officiating doctor.
From "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn" by Betty Smith
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.
