as in deciding
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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 refereeing
Adamson spends weekends hosting competitions, refereeing events and helping build a broader robotics community across South Florida.
—
Milena Malaver, Miami Herald, 23 Jan. 2026
The National Football League (NFL) must overhaul its inconsistent, poorly-performing, horse-and-buggy refereeing system.
—Steve Forbes, Forbes.com, 22 Jan. 2026
At his press conference on Tuesday, Regragui defended the tournament’s officials and said that the discourse around refereeing was damaging the competition’s image.
—Max Mathews, New York Times, 13 Jan. 2026
Wyatt Earp, before his death in 1929, would sometimes come in for a drink after refereeing nearby boxing matches held in the area.
—Chris Kenning, USA Today, 25 Oct. 2025
On the wall and in frames propped up behind me were pictures of Padilla’s refereeing career, and of boxers who’d been in his orbit.
—Vann R. Newkirk Ii, The Atlantic, 16 Sep. 2025
His refereeing prowess gets him a ticket to ref a big match in Plano against Plano South, where the Arlen mayor will be in attendance.
—Jake Harris, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 29 Aug. 2025
Milena Malaver, Miami Herald, 23 Jan. 2026
The National Football League (NFL) must overhaul its inconsistent, poorly-performing, horse-and-buggy refereeing system.
—Steve Forbes, Forbes.com, 22 Jan. 2026
At his press conference on Tuesday, Regragui defended the tournament’s officials and said that the discourse around refereeing was damaging the competition’s image.
—Max Mathews, New York Times, 13 Jan. 2026
Wyatt Earp, before his death in 1929, would sometimes come in for a drink after refereeing nearby boxing matches held in the area.
—Chris Kenning, USA Today, 25 Oct. 2025
On the wall and in frames propped up behind me were pictures of Padilla’s refereeing career, and of boxers who’d been in his orbit.
—Vann R. Newkirk Ii, The Atlantic, 16 Sep. 2025
His refereeing prowess gets him a ticket to ref a big match in Plano against Plano South, where the Arlen mayor will be in attendance.
—Jake Harris, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 29 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for refereeing
Verb
-
As the 2026 midterms approach, affordability will again be the deciding issue among voters.—
Jeffrey Sonnenfeld,
Time,
13 Jan. 2026
-
Prior to that game-deciding drive, Brock Purdy and the 49ers’ offense needed to respond to the Eagles’ field goal that made the score read 19-17 on the Jumbotron at Lincoln Financial Field in favor of the home team.—
Scott Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
12 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
The Shakers, a sect of Christianity named for their ecstatic worship dancing, were nonviolent and refused to fight in the Revolutionary War upon settling in Upstate New York.—
Patrick Ryan,
USA Today,
24 Jan. 2026
-
Metro Atlanta is settling in for a long winter weekend.—
Avery Newmark,
AJC.com,
23 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Across industries, the topic of change management, not technology, determining who wins was widely discussed.—
Mark Minevich,
Forbes.com,
30 Jan. 2026
-
Speaking at a press conference at DOJ headquarters in Washington, Blanche said that more than 500 DOJ lawyers and other personnel had spent the past 75 days reviewing potential material related to Epstein and determining what needed to be released under the law.—
Dan Mangan,
CNBC,
30 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Competition judging going forward will be conducted in part using artificial intelligence tools to capture the increasingly intricate tricks that action-sports athletes are trying these days.—
David Bloom,
Forbes.com,
26 Jan. 2026
-
The judging controversy, however, incited a firestorm that was just getting started.—
Natasha O'Neill,
Vanity Fair,
26 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
An Essex County court was adjudicating the dispute; the local news surrounding the case had prompted the representatives to make inquiries.—
Jonathan Blitzer,
New Yorker,
19 Jan. 2026
-
The commission also has a conflict of interest in adjudicating its own penalties, the complaint argues, since the money collected from those fines funds its own enforcement and other programs.—
CalMatters,
Mercury News,
15 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Evans actually spends time umpiring youth games.—
Jeff Vorva,
Chicago Tribune,
26 Jan. 2026
-
Complaints to umpires by players and managers who disagree with a call are as old as umpiring itself.—
Becky Sullivan,
NPR,
13 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
The above proposal would incentivize claimants to name the league or the Commissioner as a party to avoid arbitrating in front of the Commissioner.—
Chris Deubert,
Forbes.com,
22 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Refereeing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/refereeing. Accessed 1 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
