referee

American  

[ref-uh-ree] / ˌrɛf əˈri /

noun

• referees
  plural

1. one to whom something is referred, especially for decision or settlement; arbitrator.

   Synonyms:

   arbiter

2. (in certain games and sports) a judge having functions fixed by the rules of the game or sport; umpire.

3. an authority who evaluates scientific, technical, or scholarly papers, grant proposals, or the like for the publication or funding institution to which they have been submitted.

4. Law. a person selected by a court to take testimony in a case and return it to the court with recommendations as to the decision.

---

verb (used with object)

• referees,
  present (3rd person singular)
• refereed,
  past participle,  past
• refereeing
  present participle

1. to preside over as referee; act as referee in.

verb (used without object)

• referees,
  present (3rd person singular)
• refereed,
  past participle,  past
• refereeing
  present participle

1. to act as referee.

referee British  

/ ˌrɛfəˈriː /

noun

1. a person to whom reference is made, esp for an opinion, information, or a decision

2. the umpire or judge in any of various sports, esp football and boxing, responsible for ensuring fair play according to the rules

3. a person who is willing to testify to the character or capabilities of someone

4. law See Official Referee

---

verb

1. to act as a referee (in); preside (over)

Usage

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?

Synonym Usage

See judge.

Other Word Forms

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• referees
  plural

Participles

• refereeing
  present
• refereed
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• referee
  simple
• referees
  simple
• have refereed
  perfect
• has refereed
  perfect
• am refereeing
  progressive
• are refereeing
  progressive
• is refereeing
  progressive
• have been refereeing
  perfect progressive
• has been refereeing
  perfect progressive

Past

• refereed
  simple
• had refereed
  perfect
• was refereeing
  progressive
• were refereeing
  progressive
• had been refereeing
  perfect progressive

Future

• will referee
  simple
• will have refereed
  perfect
• will be refereeing
  progressive
• will have been refereeing
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of referee

First recorded in 1605–15; refer + -ee

Explanation

That guy on the field in black and white stripes? He's a referee, an official in a sport like football or basketball who enforces the rules. In sports, referees are there to make sure the rules are followed and everyone gets a fair shake. This word works as both a noun and a verb: referees referee games. Off the court, the world is full of everyday referees. A court appointed lawyer who investigates and reports on a case is a referee. And academics who evaluate each other's work are referees. In all cases, referees get to make official calls on what's OK and not OK.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

referee referees refereed refereeing

When referee Jarred Gillett blew his whistle to start proceedings, it became clear that this was the reality.

From BBC ● Aug. 23, 2026

On Thursday, fan groups from clubs across the country shared co-signed statements critical of VAR and calling for the video assistant referee technology to be abolished.

From Barron's ● Aug. 20, 2026

The expansion of the use of RefCam will for the first time allow the broadcast of audio between the referee and the players.

From BBC ● Aug. 18, 2026

“Errors will always be part of soccer because there are many issues open to interpretation, and that’s what the referee is there for — to interpret them.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 10, 2026

Since saber fencing is so subjective—the referee ultimately decides every contested point—I didn’t want to give him any added reason not to award points to my sister during her bouts.

From "Proud" by Ibtihaj Muhammad

The protests resulted in significant delays, with players speaking out against the actions and referees threatening to cancel matches.

From Barron's ● Aug. 20, 2026

The Premier League season will get under way on Friday night when champions Arsenal host promoted Coventry, with referees instructed to be stronger, stricter and more ready to penalise clear non-footballing actions.

From BBC ● Aug. 20, 2026

He likened it to referees betting on the outcome of a basketball game.

From Salon ● Aug. 13, 2026

The next sentence changed his career forever: “Barton, your match is France vs. Spain. … After that, I didn’t hear anything else. I didn’t even know who my assistant referees would be.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 10, 2026

Jenna and Shanti battle Kareena and me in a massive pillow fight while Didu referees.

From "You Bring the Distant Near" by Mitali Perkins

Barton officiated the France-Spain match, while American Ismail Elfath refereed the England-Argentina match.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 10, 2026

If you change the way a game is being refereed, you must adapt video review too.

From BBC ● Jun. 22, 2026

It takes into account the laws of the game and, crucially, how the Premier League expects its games to be refereed.

From BBC ● Jan. 13, 2026

Crane has refereed 17 races in 12 countries.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 22, 2025

“When’s he ever refereed a Quidditch match? He’s not going to be fair if we might overtake Slytherin.”

From "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" by J.K. Rowling

Referee Iván Barton recalls how he was assigned to officiate a World Cup semifinal between France and Spain and his view of changes that have shaped modern refereeing.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 18, 2026

The standards of refereeing will be under the microscope like never before after the contentious and title-defining calls came in a mad flurry at the end of last season.

From BBC ● Jul. 31, 2026

Social media has been flooded with posts from users in Colombia, Chile, Uruguay, Ecuador and Peru questioning refereeing decisions or expressing disapproval of Argentina, while messages mocking rival teams also proliferated from Argentine accounts.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 15, 2026

“There will always be an element of subjectivity in some decisions,” the organization’s head of refereeing Pierluigi Collina said, “but we are happy with how this principle has been applied throughout the tournament.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 13, 2026

“That’s exactly the sort of thing that’ll lose us the match! Snape’s refereeing this time, and he’ll be looking for any excuse to knock points off Gryffindor!”

From "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" by J.K. Rowling

Related Words

• arbiter
• arbitrator
• judge
• ref
• umpire