ref
/ɹɛf/
Proposed by a contributor, not yet supported by evidence.
Also seen as: reffing · reffed
Meaning · English
To referee; to act as a referee in a sport or game.
VerbRegister: informal
Examples
On the block when we were growing up we called him Ronnie the Enforcer because he umped all the stickball games and reffed the hockey.
Usage example from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01)
Sources & notes
Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01 via kaikki.org).
Common questions
What does “ref” mean?
To referee; to act as a referee in a sport or game.
Is “ref” formal or informal?
ref is generally informal.