Refer Meaning
/ɹɪˈfɜː/Definition, CEFR level A2, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
Listen pronunciation
Definition
verbTo direct the attention of (someone toward something)
verbTo submit to (another person or group) for consideration; to send or direct elsewhere.
Sentence Examples
Please refer to the tourist information office.
We refer to this city as Little Kyoto.
CEFR Practice Quiz
The teacher told the students to ____ to the dictionary for the definition of the word.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The doctor decided to ____ the patient to a specialist for a more detailed assessment.
Word Origin & History
From Middle English referren, from Old French referer, from Latin referre. The noun (used in journalism) is from the verb. Doublet of relate. See also infer, collate and confer, delate and defer, as well as prelate and prefer among others.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"Her counsel has complained of the charge of the judge, as unprecedented, an innovation on our rules of practice, misconstructive of the true meaning of the law, and referring to laws not applicable to the sale."
— 1854, Reports of Cases Argued and Determined in the Supreme Court of Louisiana, page 444:
"She became disrespectfully referred to locally as the "Crab" on account of her extraordinary manoeuvrability."
— 1956 February, R. C. Riley, “The Lymington Railway and Isle of Wight Ferry”, in Railway Magazine, page 82:
"A provision of law may not be construed as requiring a new grant to be awarded to a specified non-Federal Government entity unless that provision of law (1) specifically refers to this subsection; specifically identifies the particular non-Federal Government entity involved; and (3) specifically states that the award to that entity is required by such provision of law in contravention of the policy set forth in subsection (a)."
— 1994, Congress of the United States, United States Statutes at Large, volume 108, part 4:
"All hanar have two names. The Face Name is known to the world; the Soul Name is kept for use among close friends and relations. Hanar never refer to themselves in the first person in conversation with someone they know on a Face Name basis. To do so is considered egotistical, so instead they refer to themselves as "this one", or the impersonal "it"."
— 2008, BioWare, Mass Effect, Redwood City: Electronic Arts, →ISBN, →OCLC, PC, scene: Hanar Codex entry:
"Nonetheless, for many years afterward, she was often referred to as maharani, though that eventually gave way to the less glamorous but more respectful title of rajmata, the equivalent of queen mother."
— 2009 July 31, Bruce Weber, “Gayatri Devi, 90, a Maharani and a Lawmaker, Dies”, in The New York Times:
Explore More A2 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
The teacher told the students to ____ to the dictionary for the definition of the word.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The doctor decided to ____ the patient to a specialist for a more detailed assessment.