referee
Americannoun
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referees
plural
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one to whom something is referred, especially for decision or settlement; arbitrator.
- Synonyms:
- arbiter
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(in certain games and sports) a judge having functions fixed by the rules of the game or sport; umpire.
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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.
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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)
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referees,
present (3rd person singular)
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refereed,
past participle, past
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refereeing
present participle
verb (used without object)
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referees,
present (3rd person singular)
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refereed,
past participle, past
-
refereeing
present participle
noun
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a person to whom reference is made, esp for an opinion, information, or a decision
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the umpire or judge in any of various sports, esp football and boxing, responsible for ensuring fair play according to the rules
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a person who is willing to testify to the character or capabilities of someone
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law See Official Referee
verb
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
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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refereesimple
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refereessimple
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have refereedperfect
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has refereedperfect
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am refereeingprogressive
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are refereeingprogressive
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is refereeingprogressive
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have been refereeingperfect progressive
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has been refereeingperfect progressive
Past
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refereedsimple
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had refereedperfect
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was refereeingprogressive
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were refereeingprogressive
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had been refereeingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of referee
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.
Vocabulary lists containing referee
Set, Hut! Football Vocabulary
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Words Football Fans Can Master Easily
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Vocabulary of the Summer Olympics
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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:
Former international rugby union referee Nigel Owens also joined the online debate and said the messages in each language were no more than 10 seconds apart.
From BBC ● Aug. 15, 2026
The World Cup semifinal — one of the biggest matches a referee can officiate — had just been entrusted to the Salvadoran.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 10, 2026
That doesn’t mean the referee is unaware of who’s on the field.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 10, 2026
"You will need a referee, which is why I'd suggest doing it now," she says.
From BBC ● Aug. 8, 2026
The referee watched the scale’s weigh beam teeter up, then down, before stopping perfectly balanced.
From "We'll Fly Away" by Bryan Bliss
The league office needs to send a directive to all team owners, coaches, players and referees, to stop this behavior and play like professionals.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 15, 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
As referees, we are forced to deal with the idea that we are part of some kind of conspiracy theory all the time.
From BBC ● Jul. 19, 2026
When order was restored somewhat, the referees called time out while Dr. Ratteree examined the injuries sustained by Peanut Abbott.
From "The Great Santini" by Pat Conroy
Barton officiated the France-Spain match, while American Ismail Elfath refereed the England-Argentina match.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 10, 2026
At the end of the year he refereed two group games at the Africa Cup of Nations, having also officiated at the tournament in 2024.
From BBC ● Jun. 9, 2026
Crane has refereed 17 races in 12 countries.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 22, 2025
The parliamentarian’s office is a little-known nonpartisan office that has refereed Byrd rule disputes since the 1980s.
From Slate ● May 29, 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
Video assistant referees should only be used to change "blatantly incorrect" decisions and clear missed incidents, say European refereeing officials.
From BBC ● Jul. 28, 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
At the World Cup, however, refereeing technology has become ubiquitous.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 13, 2026
When Judge Joseph Wapner, most famous for being the judge on The People’s Court television show, ended up refereeing the depositions, Moore figured no one would take the case seriously.
From "The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks" by Rebecca Skloot
Definitions 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.
