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
His frustration over the way the game was officiated, which could have some merit, and the way his team performed must have been what boiled over — which would’ve been quite human in the moment.
—
Dom Amore, Hartford Courant, 4 Apr. 2026
Crawford officiated 2,561 regular-season NBA games and 50 Finals games over his 39-year career.
—Los Angeles Times, 4 Apr. 2026
Ayers is not among the 11 referees who were selected to officiate the Final Four games in Indianapolis, Ind.
—Peter Sblendorio, New York Daily News, 1 Apr. 2026
As a rookie official assigned to officiate the Pittsburgh Steelers in training camp, DeLorenzo was allegedly urged to perform a song that rookie Steelers players were tasked to perform.
—Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 1 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for officiate
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Dom Amore, Hartford Courant, 4 Apr. 2026
Crawford officiated 2,561 regular-season NBA games and 50 Finals games over his 39-year career.
—Los Angeles Times, 4 Apr. 2026
Ayers is not among the 11 referees who were selected to officiate the Final Four games in Indianapolis, Ind.
—Peter Sblendorio, New York Daily News, 1 Apr. 2026
As a rookie official assigned to officiate the Pittsburgh Steelers in training camp, DeLorenzo was allegedly urged to perform a song that rookie Steelers players were tasked to perform.
—Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 1 Apr. 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 6 Apr. 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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