officiate
Americanverb (used without object)
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officiates,
present (3rd person singular)
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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).
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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
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have been officiatingperfect progressive
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has been officiatingperfect progressive
Past
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officiatedsimple
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had officiatedperfect
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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
When the couple asked him to officiate their wedding, he was surprised and sought the counsel of a priest friend, who told Douthat he should do it if he could be spiritually helpful.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 26, 2026
The World Cup semifinal — one of the biggest matches a referee can officiate — had just been entrusted to the Salvadoran.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 10, 2026
Warsh said a more hands-off attitude, in which bond yields tapped on the economic brakes on their own, showed markets are “learning how to play ball” instead of relying on central bankers to officiate.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 31, 2026
In the meantime, both coaches agreed that a crew from San Antonio would officiate the game, with the stipulation that at least two of the officials be black.
From "Friday Night Lights: A Town, A Team, And A Dream" by H.G. Bissinger
Rebecca Welch will become the first female referee for a Premier League fixture when she officiates Fulham's match against Burnley on 23 December.
From BBC ● Dec. 14, 2023
At one point, she officiates a wedding, asking the groom to promise to “take loving pictures” of his bride “while she’s not looking.”
From New York Times ● Feb. 28, 2022
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
Allenby officiates the wedding of Troyanovich and Stout on top of a mountain in Aspen, Colo.
From Golf Digest ● Jan. 10, 2019
He also acts as registrar of births, deaths and marriages, and officiates at civil marriages.
From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 10, Slice 7 "Fox, George" to "France" by Various
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
The wedding was officiated by Ross Douthat, the former New York Times columnist who recently joined “60 Minutes.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 26, 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
It meant one of boxing's oldest talking points - how it is officiated - reared its head again.
From BBC ● Aug. 1, 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
Student broadcasters will participate in the event that will feature an all-women officiating crew.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 28, 2026
Here, for the first time, the 47-year-old explains his decision in detail - opening up on the impact of the often toxic debate surrounding officiating, and the intense scrutiny faced by referees.
From BBC ● Aug. 13, 2026
Assistant referee Sian Massey‑Ellis has announced her retirement from officiating to take up a position with the Football Association.
From BBC ● Aug. 7, 2026
Topp says his organization is adding a mental-health component to its national officiating summit this year for the first time, something he acknowledges is overdue.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 14, 2026
“Blessed be the Almighty . . The voice of the officiating inmate had just become audible. At first I thought it was the wind. “Blessed be God’s name .
From "Night" by Elie Wiesel
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.
