Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of referral
Explanation
A referral sends someone somewhere, often for help or advice. You'll need a referral from your doctor in order to see a specialist. You could also receive a referral for a job, if someone passes along your application. If you're dealing with a big company or institution, you might get tired of the endless referrals from one department to another. Remember that referral has two r's in the middle, “rr,” like a growl.
Vocabulary lists containing referral
"Efrén Divided" by Ernesto Cisneros, Chapters 1–5
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Half a World Away
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This Week in Words: Current Events Vocabulary for December 17–December 23, 2022
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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:
She likes the flexible preferred-provider organization, or PPO, design, which lets her see specialists without getting a referral from her primary-care doctor.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 15, 2026
Ask, in writing, how he and his firm are compensated if you invest — commissions, placement or referral fees, management fees, carried interest or other compensation.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 12, 2026
Her doctor had given her a referral for an infertility specialist.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 27, 2026
The Met said it recognised the "strain that being subject to a police investigation" could cause, and that a mandatory referral had been made to the police watchdog.
From BBC ● Sep. 18, 2026
I tell him that if he feels depressed, he should go to his general physician first and get a referral to a psychopharmacologist and go through the process like I did.
From "It’s Kind of a Funny Story" by Ned Vizzini
And, as hearings go on, they’ll issue criminal referrals.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2026
The report says ChatGPT failed tests tied to three requirements of California’s Adam’s Law: crisis referrals, parental alerts and age assurance.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 7, 2026
A portion of every ticket sold will benefit Siempre Unidos LA, a grassroots nonprofit assisting immigrant families affected by Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids and deportations through food, emergency assistance, legal referrals and community support.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 6, 2026
Medicare Advantage plans offer extra benefits such as vision and dental coverage and cap annual out-of-pocket costs but have a limited choice of doctors and extra requirements for specialist referrals.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 29, 2026
They would clip the article for a scrapbook of reviews, quote it for references and referrals.
From "The Night Circus" by Erin Morgenstern
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
