officiate
Americanverb (used without object)
-
officiates,
present (3rd person singular)
-
officiated,
past participle, past
-
officiating
present participle
verb (used with object)
-
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
-
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
-
officiatessimple
-
have officiatedperfect
-
has officiatedperfect
-
am officiatingprogressive
-
are officiatingprogressive
-
is officiatingprogressive
-
have been officiatingperfect progressive
-
has been officiatingperfect progressive
Past
-
officiatedsimple
-
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
This Week in Words: Current Events Vocab for September 11–September 17, 2021
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
I Was Their American Dream
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
The Plot to Kill Hitler
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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:
Jim Cheffers, a former City Section commissioner, used to officiate in the Pac-8.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 13, 2026
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
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
The 37-year-old is one of Turkey's top referees and officiates international games for Fifa.
From BBC ● Dec. 13, 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
Talk about having some serious street cred at the next hockey game he officiates.
From Golf Digest ● Aug. 6, 2019
At his side sits his clerk, who serves as his secretary and officiates in the oratory of the burg.
From The Poniard's Hilt Or Karadeucq and Ronan. A Tale of Bagauders and Vagres by Eugène Sue
The “Babylon” and “Spider-Man” star, 51, officiated Meyer’s marriage to music executive Geoff Ogunlesi at the Four Season Resort Lanai in Hawaii over the weekend, according to photos published Sunday by TMZ.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 12, 2026
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
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
Referee's chief Howard Webb has been heavily criticised over general officiating standards in the game.
From BBC ● Sep. 19, 2026
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
Student broadcasters will participate in the event that will feature an all-women officiating crew.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 28, 2026
It probably inspired my 32-year career as a referee, officiating in over 2,500 matches.
From BBC ● Jul. 29, 2026
He asked her to get the death certificate from the officiating doctor.
From "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn" by Betty Smith
Random Word
Spin the wheel and learn a new word!
Get a wordDefinitions 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.
