referees 1 of 2

noun

plural of referee
as in umpires
a person who impartially decides or resolves a dispute or controversy served as the unofficial referee in disputes over the family business

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referees

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of referee
as in judges
to give an opinion about (something at issue or in dispute) their father usually ends up refereeing any disputes concerning use of the big TV

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of referees
Noun
And much of that appears to be related to the psychological influence of crowds on referees and teams. — Ian Nicholas Quillen, Forbes.com, 25 June 2026 Initially, the referees ruled Freeman had been offside. — Andrew Greif, NBC news, 20 June 2026 Seb Stafford-Bloor Are referees being more lenient at this tournament? — Mark Carey, New York Times, 25 June 2026 The referees Miami uniform included bright pink shirts during the game. — Miami Herald, 16 June 2026 After the referees blew the whistle dead in the fourth quarter, Clark and Bonner got entangled in an exchange of words. — Skyler Caruso, PEOPLE, 29 June 2026 Women make up just 22% of referees in the United States, down from about 30% in other nations. — Alex Connor, USA Today, 19 June 2026 Everybody is judging them—even more so in 2026, since referees are wearing cameras on their temples, so the viewing public can see the game from their point of view. — Eric Zillmer, Scientific American, 26 June 2026 Indiana Fever fan-favorite Sophie Cunningham made a blunt statement about Caitlin Clark's treatment in the WNBA by opposing players and referees on Saturday. — Jackson Thompson, FOXNews.com, 27 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for referees
  1. umpires
  2. judges
  3. decides
  4. determines
  5. settles
Noun
  • When Ian Happ made the final out of the frame, the umpires convened and called a delay, a rare stoppage because of the fog-shrouded Wrigley Field.
    — Andy Martinez, Chicago Tribune, 5 July 2026
  • Contreras has always been an overheating boiler of a ballplayer, with a history of arguing with umpires, throwing bats and helmets, and willing to charge the mound over any slight, real or imagined.
    — Steve Buckley, New York Times, 2 July 2026
Definition of umpires
Verb
  • But on the third day of qualifying for Wimbledon 2026, a power outage downed the electronic line-calling system that judges whether shots are in or out, causing matches across 18 courts to be suspended for over an hour.
    — Caoimhe O'Neill, New York Times, 25 June 2026
  • The order created an AI Litigation Task Force inside the DOJ, gave it until January 10 to stand up, and pointed it at any state rule the administration judges too heavy a burden on the technology.
    — Dara-Abasi Ita, Forbes.com, 20 June 2026
Definition of judges
Verb
  • Michelle, who is smarting from Jesse and Lacy’s visible affection, decides to go full Coyote Ugly on the bar.
    — Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 2 July 2026
  • If a corporation decides to pursue innovation outsourcing, a key consideration is to be transparent with your VC partner.
    — Anis Uzzaman, Forbes.com, 2 July 2026
Definition of decides
Verb
  • This information is continuously shared across a command-and-control network that decides whether an engagement is necessary, selects the most suitable interceptor, and determines the optimal launch time.
    — Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 6 July 2026
  • To this, Dobos says more information on the molecular size and weight of the structure (which determines the level of skin penetration) is needed.
    — Sarah Han, Allure, 6 July 2026
Definition of determines
Verb
  • Choose a soothing activity, maybe watercolor, music, cooking, or a quiet walk, and give it your full attention so your spirit settles.
    — Tarot.com, Baltimore Sun, 5 July 2026
  • Merchants pay interchange on card payments and hold working balances that earn them nothing, and a coin that settles instantly, costs less to accept and, under Open USD’s model, pays them the yield on their balances answers both at once.
    — Zennon Kapron, Forbes.com, 2 July 2026
Definition of settles

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referees
reference
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Cite this Entry

“Referees.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/referees. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of referees for Spanish Speakers

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