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Sports & Fitness vocabulary · Competition & Scoring

Referee

Meaning in sports & fitness, with examples

/ˌrefəˈri/nounCore term

In sports & fitness, referee means: The official who controls a match, makes sure the rules are followed and makes decisions such as fouls, penalties and cards.

In Turkish: hakem

How it is used

Used in football, rugby, basketball, boxing and many other sports; informally the ref. The referee blows the whistle, awards a free kick or sends a player off. Players and coaches often argue with the referee's decisions.

Example sentences

  1. The referee stopped the game to check on the injured player.

  2. He was booked for arguing with the referee.

Common collocations

  • referee's decision
  • assistant referee
  • the referee blows the whistle
  • video assistant referee
  • matchA sports competition between two players or teams, such as a game of football, tennis or boxing, that ends with a result.
  • scoreTo win a point, goal or run in a game; as a noun, the number of points each side has, as in "The score is 2–1".
  • opponentThe person or team you are playing or competing against in a match, race or contest.
  • captainThe player chosen to lead a team on the field, who often speaks to the referee, takes part in the coin toss and motivates teammates.

This word in other fields

The same English word can have a different meaning in another field:

More terms: Competition & Scoring

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