officiate
Americanverb (used without object)
-
officiates,
present (3rd person singular)
-
officiated,
past participle, past
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officiating
present participle
verb (used with object)
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officiates,
present (3rd person singular)
-
officiated,
past participle, past
-
officiating
present participle
-
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
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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
-
officiatesimple
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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
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is officiatingprogressive
-
have been officiatingperfect progressive
-
has been officiatingperfect progressive
Past
-
officiatedsimple
-
had officiatedperfect
-
was officiatingprogressive
-
were officiatingprogressive
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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:
She also launched a fashion line, established a "Church of Self-Obliteration" and styled herself the "High Priestess of Polka Dots" to officiate at a gay wedding.
From Barron's ● Aug. 27, 2026
There are also tight restrictions on who can officiate a wedding and how.
From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2026
The game, which Spain won 1-0, was extremely challenging to officiate.
From BBC ● Jul. 19, 2026
Those wanting to officiate high-school and collegiate-level sports typically need to take classes in rules and mechanics, followed by tests that lead to certification.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 14, 2026
She couldn’t find her teeth and refused to officiate without them.
From "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn" by Betty Smith
Alfie is a qualified referee who officiates at step three and four of the football pyramid - the Isthmian League and the Southern League Premier Division.
From BBC ● Apr. 23, 2026
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
Allenby officiates the wedding of Troyanovich and Stout on top of a mountain in Aspen, Colo.
From Golf Digest ● Jan. 10, 2019
They attend chapel twice a day, where Reginald officiates.
From Phoebe, Junior by Mrs. (Margaret) Oliphant
A spokesperson for the couple did later confirm reports that the ceremony was officiated by Adam Sandler, while also sharing details about the couple’s wedding day looks.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 7, 2026
Garland officiated at the Nantucket, Mass., wedding, joking at one point that when he told Wilkinson to improve her relations with the press, this wasn’t what he meant.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 28, 2026
On a recent Sunday, he officiated a packed Mass at the church of Saint Bartholomew the Apostle in Macuto, a city known for its seaside boulevard.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 14, 2026
Little is known, other than that the ceremony was officiated by comedian/actor Adam Sandler, the couple were dressed by Jonathan Anderson for Christian Dior, and Swift wore Louboutin shoes.
From Barron's ● Aug. 12, 2026
In February 1963,1 officiated at the University of Islam graduation exercises; when I introduced various members of the Muhammad family, I could feel the cold chill toward them from the Muslims in the audience.
From "The Autobiography of Malcolm X" by Alex Malcolm X;Hailey
The game ended 17 minutes before midnight thanks in part to several long deliberations by the officiating crew.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 11, 2026
Dean enjoyed a 28-year career as a professional official, stepping down from on-field officiating in 2022 and retiring after spending the 2022-23 season as a full-time VAR.
From BBC ● Sep. 3, 2026
The 58-year-old began officiating in 1985 and progressed from refereeing in the Football League 10 years later, and then to Premier League in 2000.
From BBC ● Sep. 3, 2026
Student broadcasters will participate in the event that will feature an all-women officiating crew.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 28, 2026
But everything stopped when a door opened and the officiating priest entered.
From "The House of the Scorpion" by Nancy Farmer
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.
