1. The act of referring (as forwarding an applicant for employment or referring a matter to an appropriate agency)
   "The doctor's referral to a specialist expedited the patient's treatment"
    
2. A recommendation to consult the (professional) person or group to whom one has been referred
   "the insurance company says that you need a written referral from your physician before seeing a specialist"
    
3. A person whose case has been referred to a specialist or professional group
   "the patient is a referral from Dr. Bones"

Derived forms: referrals

Type of: case, forwarding, recommendation

Encyclopedia: Referral