referee
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referee
- /ˌɹɛf.əˈɹiː/ UK
- /ˌɹɛf.əˈɹi/ US
Rhymes with -iː
Where it comes from
From Middle English [Term?], from past participle of Old French referer (“to relate, to refer”), from Latin referre (“to carry back, to report, to notify”); as if refer + -ee, that is, the person to whom something is referred for consideration.
noun referees
- An umpire or judge; an official who makes sure the rules are followed during a game. The referee kicked Jim out of the game for fighting.
- A person who settles a dispute.
- A person who writes a letter of reference or provides a reference by phone call for someone. (In the UK such a person is sometimes, and in the US the person is typically, referred to as a reference.) Your application, along with letters from three referees, should be received by January 31.
- An expert who judges the manuscript of an article or book to decide if it should be published.
verb referees · refereeing · refereed
- To act as a referee. He has to referee three hockey games this weekend.
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: umpire, reviewer, ref, peer review, informant, provision, participant, arbitrage, interviewee, meeting, examiner, enquirer, sponsor, responder, mediate, response
Translations
Every language
noun sport: umpire, judge of a game
| Español | árbitro, réferi, referí, referee |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 심판 simpan, 레퍼리 repeori |
| 日本語 | 審判, レフェリー referī |
| 中文 | 裁判 cáipàn |
| Português | árbitro, juiz |
| Français | arbitre |
| Deutsch | Schiedsrichter, Schiedsrichterin, Referee |
| Italiano | arbitro |
| Ελληνικά | διαιτητής diaititís |
| Română | arbitru |
| Русский | судья́ sudʹjá, ре́фери́ rɛ́ferí, арби́тр arbítr, ампа́йр ampájr |
| Tiếng Việt | trọng tài |
| العربية | حَكَم ḥakam |
| עברית | שופט shofét |
noun person who settles a dispute
| 한국어 | 중재인 jungjaein |
|---|---|
| Português | árbitro, juiz |
| Français | arbitre |
| Deutsch | Schlichter, Schiedsmann, Ombudsmann, Ombudsfrau |
| Ελληνικά | διαιτητής diaititís, εισηγητής eisigitís |
| Română | arbitru, judecător |
| Русский | судья́ sudʹjá, арби́тр arbítr |
| العربية | حَكَم ḥakam |
noun person who writes a letter of reference
| 한국어 | 신원보증인 sinwonbojeung'in |
|---|---|
| 中文 | 證明人 /证明人 zhèngmíngrén |
| Deutsch | Empfehlungsgeber, Befürworter, Protagonist |
| Română | referent |
| Русский | поручи́тель poručítelʹ, поручи́тельница poručítelʹnica |
noun expert who judges a manuscript
| Español | árbitro, revisor |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 심사원 simsawon |
| Deutsch | Rezensent, Lektor |
| Ελληνικά | κριτής kritís |
| Русский | рецензе́нт recenzént |
verb to act as a judge of a game or contest
| Español | arbitrar |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 심판을 보다 simpan-eul boda |
| Português | arbitrar |
| Français | arbitrer |
| Deutsch | schiedsrichtern, pfeifen |
| Italiano | arbitrare |
| Română | arbitra |
verb to settle a dispute
| Deutsch | schlichten, entscheiden |
|---|
verb to write a letter of reference
| Deutsch | empfehlen, beurteilen, befürworten |
|---|
verb to judge a manuscript
| Deutsch | lektorieren, beurteilen |
|---|
Talk about this word "referee." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/referee. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. referee. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/referee "referee." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/referee.Cite this
@misc{referee_2026,
title = {referee},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/referee},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
