reference

American  

[ref-er-uhns, ref-ruhns] / ˈrɛf ər əns, ˈrɛf rəns /

noun

• references
  plural

1. 

   an act or instance of referring.

2. a mention; allusion.

3. something for which a name or designation stands; denotation.

4. a direction in a book or writing to some other book, passage, etc.

   Synonyms:

   citation, note

5. a book, passage, etc., to which one is directed.

6. reference mark.

7. material contained in a footnote or bibliography, or referred to by a reference mark.

8. use or recourse for purposes of information.

   a library for public reference.

9. a book or other source of useful facts or information, such as an encyclopedia, dictionary, etc.

10. a person to whom one refers for testimony as to one's character, abilities, etc.

11. a statement, usually written, as to a person's character, abilities, etc.

    Synonyms:

    endorsement

12. relation, regard, or respect.

    all persons, without reference to age.

    Synonyms:

    concern, consideration

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verb (used with object)

• references,
  present (3rd person singular)
• referenced,
  past participle,  past
• referencing
  present participle

1. to furnish (a book, dissertation, etc.) with references.

   Each new volume is thoroughly referenced.

2. to arrange (notes, data, etc.) for easy reference.

   Statistical data is referenced in the glossary.

3. to refer to.

   to reference a file.

reference British  

/ ˈrɛfərəns, ˈrɛfrəns /

noun

1. the act or an instance of referring

2. something referred, esp proceedings submitted to a referee in law

3. a direction of the attention to a passage elsewhere or to another book, document, etc

4. a book or passage referred to

5. a mention or allusion

   this book contains several references to the Civil War

6. philosophy

   1. the relation between a word, phrase, or symbol and the object or idea to which it refers

   2. the object referred to by an expression Compare sense

7. 1. a source of information or facts

   2. ( as modifier )

      a reference book

      a reference library

8. a written testimonial regarding one's character or capabilities

9. a person referred to for such a testimonial

10. 1. (foll by to) relation or delimitation, esp to or by membership of a specific class or group; respect or regard

       all people, without reference to sex or age

    2. ( as modifier )

       a reference group

11. a fact forming the basis of an evaluation or assessment; criterion

12. the specific limits of responsibility that determine the activities of an investigating body, etc

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verb

1. to furnish or compile a list of references for (an academic thesis, publication, etc)

2. to make a reference to; refer to

   he referenced Chomsky, 1956

preposition

1. re. commerce with reference to

   reference your letter of the 9th inst

reference Idioms  

1. see in regard (reference) to.

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Usage

What does reference mean? Reference means an act of referring, that is, an act of directing someone to something, Jaya noted the name of the author for future reference. Reference also means a direct mention or to the actual books or materials that someone is being referred to, as in The greedy pig named Bob Bacon was a reference to the actual business tycoon of the same name. Reference can also mean material that can be referred to for information, as in The encyclopedia is a good reference to use when doing your homework. In a piece of writing, a reference is a direction or citation leading a reader to another book or passage for more information, as in The author listed several references at the bottom of the page. Any of these senses can also be used as verbs, as in All of the graphical data was referenced at the end of the study. Reference is also commonly used to mean people that give testimony about a person’s character, such as for a job application, as in The teacher agreed to be listed as a reference on Namita’s college application. Example: Teachers often tell their students how many references their research papers need to have.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• misreference
  noun
• nonreference
  noun
• prereference
  noun
• referencer
  noun
• subreference
  noun
• referential
  adjective
• unreferenced
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• references
  plural

Participles

• referencing
  present
• referenced
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• reference
  simple
• references
  simple
• have referenced
  perfect
• has referenced
  perfect
• am referencing
  progressive
• are referencing
  progressive
• is referencing
  progressive
• have been referencing
  perfect progressive
• has been referencing
  perfect progressive

Past

• referenced
  simple
• had referenced
  perfect
• was referencing
  progressive
• were referencing
  progressive
• had been referencing
  perfect progressive

Future

• will reference
  simple
• will have referenced
  perfect
• will be referencing
  progressive
• will have been referencing
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of reference

First recorded in 1580–90; refer + -ence

Explanation

If you are writing a report for school, you are probably relying on a few references, or sources, for information. Or, if you are applying for a job, you may count on a reference from a previous boss to help you get the job. Good references are sometimes necessary to either get a job or to get a job done well. A reference is someone you can rely on to put in a good word for you when applying for a job. Or, a reference might be an outside source you use in a research paper. Don't forget: if you reference outside work, be sure to mention it in your bibliography or "list of references" so you don't get accused of plagiarism. Give credit where it's due.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

reference references referenced referencing

Top Fuel is its most extreme form, named in reference to the powerful nitromethane fuel the cars run on.

From BBC ● Oct. 8, 2026

Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Tuesday said the information shared by Moscow was “still quite limited” but made no reference to the private diplomatic communication.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 6, 2026

It interacts very little with the surrounding plasma, making it useful as a clean reference point.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 6, 2026

“What the traditional scout gives you is personal reference, like with things I learned on players that I missed on,” he said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 5, 2026

Thus Descartes opted for the least common phrase available to him in French as a translation for lex naturae in order to give his phrase a precise reference to scientific laws, not moral ones.

From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton

Bishop’s worldly ruminations are salted with references to Saint-Exupéry, Plato and Nietzsche.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 7, 2026

"We weren't allowed to make any references to humanitarian law."

From Barron's ● Oct. 1, 2026

"It's not tartan everywhere, but if you grew up in a working-class town in the 90s, you will get a lot of the references," he said.

From BBC ● Sep. 25, 2026

Within that rhetoric have been references to the U.N. charter’s “enemy state” clauses drafted in the aftermath of World War II, referring to defeated Germany and Japan.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 23, 2026

It was unsigned, but there were several clear references which made it plain that Bunny Corcoran, or someone purporting to be him, was the author.

From "The Secret History" by Donna Tartt

Several were referenced in a recent city staff report.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 3, 2026

In it, he referenced comments made in 2014, though they seem to no longer exist on the internet.

From Slate ● Sep. 22, 2026

Burnham also referenced that his private discussions with Trump included the Falkland Islands, which have been the subject of comments by the president.

From BBC ● Sep. 22, 2026

Bergeron cited the Ethan Allen board’s “apparent unwillingness to address the need for a CEO succession,” and referenced Kathwari’s statement in an August television interview that the board has never raised the issue.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 21, 2026

I also watched every single film he referenced in the Almanac.

From "Ready Player One: A Novel" by Ernest Cline

Their original press release mentioned building a new air defence systems that would be "in essence, a British Iron Dome", referencing Israel's elaborate air defence system.

From BBC ● Oct. 6, 2026

“Crews are also continuing to reinforce vulnerable portions of the pedestrian boardwalk,” he wrote, referencing work the city did in advance of Hurricane Marie.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 25, 2026

When Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy ludicrously urged Americans to dress up for travel, he was referencing this imaginary age of girdles and silk-stockinged women dolled up like Veronica Lake.

From Salon ● Sep. 18, 2026

US officials also made unacceptable "threats" to the French language and "Quebec culture," he added, referencing the French-speaking province in eastern Canada.

From Barron's ● Sep. 7, 2026

He was referencing her real life—indirectly, to an extent, though everyone knew the subtext.

From "Drama High" by Michael Sokolove

Related Words

• allusion
• hint
• innuendo
• mention
• note
• quotation