Synonyms

refer

American

[ri-fur] / rɪˈfɜr /

verb (used with object)

to direct for information or anything required.

He referred me to books on astrology.
to direct the attention or thoughts of.

The asterisk refers the reader to a footnote.
to hand over or submit for information, consideration, treatment, assistance, decision, etc..

They were forced to refer the argument to arbitration.
The doctor will decide whether to carry out blood tests in the office or to refer the patient to a hospital.
to recommend.

My electrician went above and beyond, and I would definitely refer her to a friend.
to assign to a class, period, etc.; regard as belonging or related.

Animals referred to the phylum Platyhelminthes are also known as flatworms due to their flattened bodies.

Synonyms:

impute, ascribe, attribute

verb phrase

refer to
1. to have recourse or resort to; turn to, as for aid or information.
  
  I can't remember the answer offhand, so I'll have to refer to my notes.
2. to mention; speak briefly of.
  
  The author referred to his teachers twice in the article.
3. to relate to; apply to; mean or denote.
  
  The term “contingency fee” refers to an arrangement where legal fees are due to the attorney only if the case is successful.
4. to direct attention to, as a reference mark does.
  
  Each number refers to an endnote.

refer British

/ rɪˈfɜː /

verb

(intr) to make mention (of)
(tr) to direct the attention of (someone) for information, facts, etc

the reader is referred to Chomsky, 1965
(intr) to seek information (from)

I referred to a dictionary of English usage
he referred to his notes
(intr) to be relevant (to); pertain or relate (to)

this song refers to an incident in the Civil War
(tr) to assign or attribute

Cromwell referred his victories to God
(tr) to hand over for consideration, reconsideration, or decision

to refer a complaint to another department
(tr) to hand back to the originator as unacceptable or unusable
(tr) to fail (a student) in an examination
(tr) to send back (a thesis) to a student for improvement
a request by a bank that the payee consult the drawer concerning a cheque payable by that bank (usually because the drawer has insufficient funds in his account), payment being suspended in the meantime
(tr) to direct (a patient) for treatment to another doctor, usually a specialist
(tr) social welfare to direct (a client) to another agency or professional for a service

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Usage

The common practice of adding back to refer is tautologous, since this meaning is already contained in the re- of refer: this refers to (not back to ) what has already been said . However, when refer is used in the sense of passing a document or question for further consideration to the person from whom it was received, it may be appropriate to say he referred the matter back

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

Inflected Forms

Participles

Conjugated Forms

Present

Past

Future

Etymology

Origin of refer

First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English referren, from Latin referre “to bring back,” from re- re- + ferre “to bear, bring, carry”; see also bear ¹

Explanation

If you refer to something, you consult it. To check your spelling, you refer to a dictionary. If you want to know when your spring break starts, you can refer to your class schedule. Refer is made up of two very useful Latin roots: re- "back" and ferre "carry," and when one thing refers to another, one meaning “carries back” to the other — there’s some kind of connection. "The term “Spaghetti Western” refers to a kind of Western often filmed in Italy by Italian filmmakers, in Italian." If you have a mysterious rash, your doctor might refer you — send you — to an allergist.

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Vocabulary lists containing refer

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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:

refer refers referred referring

Victim service providers say police don’t like to refer cases that are unlikely to be picked up by prosecutors.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 16, 2026

Olivia Grange, the country's culture minister, said the petition would ask the King to refer three questions to the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council over the legality of the enslavement of Africans in Jamaica.

From BBC ● Sep. 14, 2026

Tokens refer to the quantifiable chunks of information that AI models process, and the cost per token can vary by model and provider.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 10, 2026

"Customers" can refer to households, businesses and industry.

From Barron's ● Sep. 8, 2026

“That is the term humans use to refer to a duplicate copy of a machine. It appears you are a duplicate of me. If I fail, you will be needed.”

From "A Rover's Story" by Jasmine Warga

Jeffrey Hirsch of the Stock Trader’s Almanac refers to this strategy as “Wall Street’s Only ‘Free Lunch.’”

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 21, 2026

Little g refers to the acceleration an object experiences because of the gravitational attraction of a nearby large body such as Earth.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 20, 2026

He says his support system comes in the form of his partner Tony, and a group of friends and neighbours he refers to as his "chosen family".

From BBC ● Sep. 19, 2026

The nickname refers to the group of PayPal founders and former employees who went on to start other tech companies, including SpaceX, Palantir Technologies, LinkedIn, YouTube and Yelp.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 15, 2026

The figures at the base of columns are the first year of the decade, so 1470 refers to the decade 1470-1479.

From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton

The Pleiadians would then harness spiritual energy from subatomic tachyon particles in order to heal me, performing what Tourtsakis referred to as “surgeries.”

From Slate ● Sep. 22, 2026

After all, the former right-back had directly questioned a lack of effort, and referred to the players as "mannequins".

From BBC ● Sep. 21, 2026

The hindbrain, by contrast, sits toward the back of the skull and is often referred to as the brain stem.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 21, 2026

The University of Michigan referred questions to Manuel, the athletic director.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 18, 2026

She referred softly to the fact that her uncles had long ago stolen the deed to the estate.

From "Everything Sad Is Untrue" by Daniel Nayeri

In an unfortunate attempt to make the wine happen, winesellers in the aughts started referring to it by the nickname “Groo-Vee.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 21, 2026

“I would like to see it addressed in the lame-duck session, with a fiscal-commission bill attached,” said the Concord Coalition’s Bourdeaux, referring to proposals for a bipartisan panel that would tackle the national debt.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 20, 2026

"I don't have to let them into the people's house", he said, referring to the White House.

From BBC ● Sep. 19, 2026

“It’s too much input. That’s why Jeff wears the Spider-Man goggles,” he adds, referring to the ELO frontman’s ever-present aviator shades.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 18, 2026

She scolded Crick for even referring to Earth.

From "The Last Cuentista" by Donna Barba Higuera

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023