ref·er·ee
ˌre-fə-ˈrē 
1
: one to whom a thing is referred: such as
a
: a person to whom a legal matter is referred for investigation and report or for settlement
b
: a person who reviews a paper and especially a technical paper and recommends that it should or should not be published
c
chiefly British
: reference sense 4a
2
: a sports official usually having final authority in administering a game
refereed; refereeing
1
: to conduct (a match or game) as referee
2
a
: to arbitrate (something, such as a legal matter) as a judge or third party
b
: to review (something, such as a technical paper) before publication
: to act as a referee
Synonyms
Examples of referee in a Sentence
Noun
served as the unofficial referee in disputes over the family business
Verb
She refereed the basketball game.
He has refereed for several years now.
Recent Examples on the Web
Joe Rubin, Sacramento Bee, 29 Apr. 2024
The play appeared right on the edge of a potential offside call, but the video assistant referee (VAR) didn’t deem it a clear and obvious error.
—Daniel Sperry, Kansas City Star, 28 Apr. 2024
See all Example Sentences for referee 
Noun
Another alleged victim filed a lawsuit in 2022 accusing Kelly of abusing him in his capacity as a referee in a youth soccer league.
—Joe Rubin, Sacramento Bee, 29 Apr. 2024
The play appeared right on the edge of a potential offside call, but the video assistant referee (VAR) didn’t deem it a clear and obvious error.
—Daniel Sperry, Kansas City Star, 28 Apr. 2024
See all Example Sentences for referee
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'referee.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near referee
Cite this Entry
“Referee.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/referee. Accessed 5 May. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
referee
1 of 2 noun
ref·er·ee
ˌref-ə-ˈrē
1
: a person to whom something that is to be investigated or decided is referred
2
: a sports official usually having final authority in conducting a game
referee
2 of 2 verb
refereed; refereeing
: to conduct as a referee
Legal Definition
referee
noun
ref·er·ee
ˌre-fə-ˈrē
: an officer appointed by a court or quasi-judicial body (as a workers' compensation board) to investigate a case, report findings, and often to make orders subject to review
the board may affirm, reverse, modify or supplement the order of the referee—Oregon Revised Statutes
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