referee
synonym study for referee
Words nearby referee
VOCAB BUILDER
What does referee mean?
The word referee most commonly refers to an official in a sporting event who enforces the rules of the game.
In sports, referees 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 referee. In the context of sports, the word referee is commonly shortened with the informal term 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.
In all of its senses, referee can be used as a verb meaning to act as a referee, as in I signed up to referee my daughter’s soccer games.
Example: I’ve never understood why players argue with referees—have you ever seen one reverse their call?
Where does referee come from?
The first records of the word referee come from the early 1600s. It’s a combination of the verb refer and the suffix -ee, which is used to form words from verbs to indicate a person who is the beneficiary of the verb. In this way, a referee is a person to whom a matter is referred, often in order to make a decision on it.
Referees are commonly associated with basketball, football, and soccer, but other sports have referees. In professional American football, the referee is one of several officials who each have different titles and responsibilities. In other sports, the referee is called an umpire or judge.
In all such cases, the role of the referee is to be an enforcer of the rules who does not favor either player or team. Being a referee is often seen as a thankless job since players and fans are known for arguing with their calls (which, yes, are sometimes terrible).
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What are some other forms related to referee?
- ref (informal shortened form)
What are some synonyms for referee?
What are some words that share a root or word element with referee?
What are some words that often get used in discussing referee?
How is referee used in real life?
Referee is commonly used as both a noun and a verb. It’s most commonly used in the context of sports, but it can also be used in a legal context. It’s sometimes used in a figurative way.
https://twitter.com/NYTSports/status/1344669900833488898
Robertson: I do believe ex-pros and managers and referees should be involved in some of the decisions being made now. In the last 18 months the rules have changed a lot. It's a wee bit uncertain now. When VAR came in we thought it would be black and white – we're not getting that
— Ian Doyle (@IanDoyleSport) November 30, 2020
Official: William Collum will referee the game between Sporting CP and Real Madrid in Lisbon. pic.twitter.com/glYmbz07vv
— Real Madrid Info ³⁴ (@RMadridInfo) November 20, 2016
Try using referee!
Is referee used correctly in the following sentence?
I hate having to act as a referee when my friends are in an argument—I wish they could just sort it out themselves.