1. (sport) an official who enforces the rules in various sports
   "The referee called a foul on the defensive player";
   - ref [informal]
    
2. (law) an attorney appointed by a court to investigate and report on a case
   "The referee examined the complex financial records and presented their findings to the judge"
    
3. Someone who reads manuscripts and judges their suitability for publication
   "As a referee, he ensured the article met the journal's standards";
   - reviewer, reader
    
4. [Brit] Someone who writes a reference letter for a job candidate
   "She asked her former professor to be a referee for her job application";
   - reference [N. Amer]

1. (sport) be a referee or umpire in a sports competition
   "He refereed the baseball game";
   - umpire, ref [informal], ump [informal]
    
2. Evaluate professionally a colleague's work
   "The scientific paper was refereed before publication";
   - peer review
    
3. Mediate or act as intermediary
   "She refereed the dispute between the two departments"

Derived forms: referees, refereeing, refereed

Type of: attorney, critic, critique, judge, lawyer, official, review

Encyclopedia: Referee