noun · neutral
referee
/ˌrefəˈriː/ref·er·REE
Band 4-5speakingtask2
the official who enforces the rules and controls a sports match
Examples
“The referee blew the whistle for a foul.”
“Players must accept the referee's decisions.”
“The referee consulted the linesman before awarding the penalty.”
Band 8 sentence
“Although the referee made a controversial call, the decision was backed by the match officials after reviewing the footage.”
Collocations
- the referee blew the whistle
- match referee
- referee a match
Word family
referee nounreferees noun (plural)refereed verb (rare)
Common mistakes
judge→referee
refree→referee
Say it for a higher band
5ref→6umpire→7+referee
Synonyms
umpire
official
Easily confused
umpire
“The umpire called the runner out at home plate.”
Related words
Learn this word with the rest of its set, and get reminded at the right time.
In Sport & Exercise
Learn it with its set