I. ref ‧ er ‧ ee 1 /ˌrefəˈriː/ BrE AmE noun [countable]
[ Word Family: verb : ↑ refer , ↑ referee , ↑ reference ; noun : ↑ referee , ↑ reference , ↑ referral ; adjective : ↑ referable ]
1 . someone who makes sure that the rules of a sport such as football, ↑ basketball , or ↑ boxing , are followed ⇨ umpire
2 . British English someone who provides information about you when you are trying to get a job:
His headmaster agreed to act as his referee.
3 . someone who is asked to settle a disagreement
4 . someone who judges an article or ↑ research idea before it is ↑ publish ed or money is provided for it
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THESAURUS
▪ referee someone who makes sure that the rules of a sport are obeyed in soccer, American football, rugby, ice hockey, basketball, boxing, or wrestling:
a football referee
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The referee blew his whistle to stop the game.
▪ umpire someone who makes sure that the rules are obeyed in baseball, cricket, tennis, or hockey:
He was given several warnings by the umpire.
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a tennis umpire
▪ judge someone who decides the result of a competition or sporting contest:
There will be only one winner and the judges’ decision is final.
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A panel of judges will evaluate the dancers' performance.
▪ arbitrator someone who officially decides how an argument between two opposing sides should be settled:
They insisted that an independent arbitrator must settle the dispute.
II. referee 2 BrE AmE verb ( past tense and past participle refereed , present participle refereeing ) [intransitive and transitive]
[ Word Family: verb : ↑ refer , ↑ referee , ↑ reference ; noun : ↑ referee , ↑ reference , ↑ referral ; adjective : ↑ referable ]
to be the referee of a game