officiate

American  

[uh-fish-ee-eyt] / əˈfɪʃ iˌeɪt /

verb (used without object)

officiated, officiating

1. to perform the office of a member of the clergy, as at a divine service.

2. to perform the duties or function of some office or position.

3. to serve as referee, umpire, or other official in a sports contest or game.

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verb (used with object)

officiated, officiating

1. to serve as the priest or minister of (a divine service, religious ceremony, etc.).

2. to perform, carry out, or fulfill (an official duty or function).

3. to act as a referee, umpire, timekeeper, or other official for (a sports contest or game).

officiate British  

/ əˈfɪʃɪˌeɪt /

verb

1. to hold the position, responsibility, or function of an official

2. to conduct a religious or other ceremony

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Other Word Forms

• officiation noun
• officiator noun
• unofficiated adjective
• unofficiating adjective

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; 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."

Example Sentences

DeLorenzo spent nearly two decades as an official, working her way up through high school and various levels of college football, before becoming only the third woman to officiate NFL games.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 1, 2026

Scottish referee Hollie Davidson will make history on Saturday in Dublin when she becomes the first woman to officiate a men's Six Nations match.

From Barron's • Feb. 12, 2026

"It is a very difficult game to officiate anyway, without all the extra goings-on."

From BBC • Nov. 25, 2025

Now, she requires each team to supply a referee to officiate the other teams’ events, and carries a megaphone to boost compliance.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 5, 2025

Father Nicanor Reyna—whom Don Apolinar Moscote had brought from the swamp to officiate at the wedding— was an old man hardened by the ingratitude of his ministry.

From "One Hundred Years of Solitude" by Gabriel Garcia Marquez

Related Words

• preside