officiate
verb
of·fi·ci·ate
ə-ˈfi-shē-ˌāt 
officiated; officiating
1
: to perform a ceremony, function, or duty
officiate at a wedding
2
: to act in an official capacity : act as an official (as at a sports contest)
1
: to carry out (an official duty or function)
2
: to serve as a leader or celebrant of (a ceremony)
3
: to administer the rules of (a game or sport) especially as a referee or umpire
Examples of officiate in a Sentence
The bishop officiated the memorial Mass.
Two referees officiated the hockey game.
Recent Examples on the Web
Finance professors rarely research NFL officiating, but the authors’ interest in regulatory capture—when regulators are corrupted by the entities they’re supposed to be regulating—led them to a trove of useful data.
—
Emil Steiner, Forbes.com, 30 Jan. 2026
For those who want a ban, officiating mistakes are the biggest factor.
—The Athletic Nfl Staff, New York Times, 28 Jan. 2026
Looking ahead, Vansteenberghe is embracing new avenues, including DJing (and officiating weddings).
—Michelle Lee, PEOPLE, 28 Jan. 2026
At the high school level, Kortz officiated boys basketball state title games in 1970, 1971 and 1972.
—Bob Goldsborough, Chicago Tribune, 27 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for officiate
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Emil Steiner, Forbes.com, 30 Jan. 2026
For those who want a ban, officiating mistakes are the biggest factor.
—The Athletic Nfl Staff, New York Times, 28 Jan. 2026
Looking ahead, Vansteenberghe is embracing new avenues, including DJing (and officiating weddings).
—Michelle Lee, PEOPLE, 28 Jan. 2026
At the high school level, Kortz officiated boys basketball state title games in 1970, 1971 and 1972.
—Bob Goldsborough, Chicago Tribune, 27 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for officiate
Cite this Entry
“Officiate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/officiate. Accessed 2 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
officiate
verb
of·fi·ci·ate
ə-ˈfish-ē-ˌāt
officiated; officiating
1
: to perform a ceremony
officiate at a wedding
2
: to act as an officer
officiated at the annual meeting
3
: to enforce the rules of (a game or sport)
officiate a soccer match
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