A Referee Is Someone Things Are Referred To
A referee enforces the rules of a game. The word also means someone who vouches for you, and both come from referring a matter to a third party.
A referee is the official who applies the rules of a game. The name explains the job: disputes are *referred* to them. The same logic gives the other British sense — a referee on a job application is someone the employer refers to for an opinion — and the academic one, where a paper is refereed by other experts.
- A sports official. *The referee awarded a penalty.*
- Someone who provides a reference. *List two referees.*
- An expert reviewing a paper. *The referees recommended revisions.*
- To officiate. *He refereed the final.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | referee | A strict referee. |
| Plural | referees | Two referees. |
| Verb | referee | Referee a match. |
| Related | refer | Refer the case. |
| Related | umpire | The umpire's call. |
How it is used in a sentence
- The referee blew for half-time.Sport.
- Please provide the names of two referees.British job applications.
- The paper went out to referees.Peer review.
Referee or umpire?
- Referee — football, rugby, boxing, basketball
- Umpire — cricket, tennis, baseball, netball
- Both — some sports use each for different roles
- Linesman / assistant referee — helps with decisions at the boundary
- Video review — now standard in many sports, under various names
From *refer*, from Latin *referre*, to carry back, from *re-* and *ferre*, to bear — the same verb as in *transfer*, *offer* and *suffer*.
Referee or umpire?
It depends entirely on the sport. Football has referees, cricket and tennis have umpires, and there is no underlying rule.
What is a referee on a job application?
Someone who can comment on your work, whom the employer contacts. In American usage they are called references.