ref

¹ American  

[ref] / rɛf /

noun

Sports Slang.

reffed, reffing

1. referee.

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ref. ² American  

abbreviation

1. referee.

2. reference.

3. referred.

4. refining.

5. reformation.

6. reformed.

7. refund.

8. refunding.

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ref. ¹ British  

abbreviation

1. referee

2. reference

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ref ² British  

/ rɛf /

noun

1. informal short for referee

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Usage

What does ref mean? Ref is an informal and shortened way of referring to a referee, an official in a sporting event who enforces the rules of the game.In sports, refs do things like call fouls and stop play when there has been a violation of the rules. Basketball, football, and soccer are examples of sports that used this kind of ref.The word referee is also sometimes used to refer to a person who acts as a formal authority or arbitrator in some kind of decision, such as a legal case. Sometimes, the word refers to a person who’s responsible for reviewing scientific or academic papers or grant proposals. Referee can also be used in a figurative way to refer to someone who has to enforce the rules in some situation, as in I spent the afternoon playing referee to several toddlers.Ref can be used as a shortened form of referee in these contexts, but it’s much less common than its use in sports.Sometimes, the word is used as an informal way of addressing a referee, as in “Hey, Ref, good call!” said no one ever.  Like referee, ref can be used as a verb meaning to act as a referee, as in I signed up to ref my daughter’s soccer games. Example: I’ve never understood why players argue with refs—have you ever seen one reverse their call? 

Etymology

Origin of ref

First recorded in 1895–1900; by shortening

Example Sentences

Obviously, I should have waited for the ref to blow his whistle.

From BBC • Feb. 13, 2026

Technology can help, ball crossing the goal line, even semi automated offside, but tackles and hand balls, the ref has his eyes on the game and is best placed to make a call.

From BBC • Jan. 19, 2026

Embarrassing from the ref and embarrassing from VAR,

From BBC • Jan. 19, 2026

“It’s the equivalent of having an NFL ref for a pee-wee football game,” said John Murphy, who oversees the club’s racing operations.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 9, 2025

He went up and slammed with me hanging on his arm, but the ref didn’t call the foul.

From "Slam!" by Walter Dean Myers

Related Words

• referee
• umpire