officiate

1 of 2

verb

of·​fi·​ci·​ate ə-ˈfi-shē-ˌāt 

officiated; officiating

intransitive verb

1

: to perform a ceremony, function, or duty

officiate at a wedding

2

: to act in an official capacity : act as an official (as at a sports contest)

transitive verb

1

: to carry out (an official duty or function)

2

: to serve as a leader or celebrant of (a ceremony)

3

: to administer the rules of (a game or sport) especially as a referee or umpire

officiation

ə-ˌfi-shē-ˈā-shən 

noun

officiation

2 of 2

noun

of·​fi·​ci·​a·​tion

plural -s

: the act or term of officiating : performance of a ceremony

no provisions for a civil marriage, hence some kind of religious officiation is obligatory

—Alfred Werner

Examples of officiate in a Sentence

Verb

The bishop officiated the memorial Mass.

Two referees officiated the hockey game.

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

Perhaps the league sees officiating controversy as a marketing tool. — Bobby Burack Outkick, FOXNews.com, 6 Oct. 2026

The league's vice president of officiating, Ramon George, issued the suspensions. — ABC News, 5 Oct. 2026

Instead, the 78-year-old undertakes the often thankless task of officiating football matches. — Eduardo Tansley, New York Times, 4 Oct. 2026

Here, a very dear, longtime local friend officiated the service with just a few attendees which included a blacktip reef shark and a colony of marine iguanas. — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 30 Sep. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Verb

borrowed from Medieval Latin officiātus, past participle of officiāre "to perform a function, perform priestly duties," going back to Late Latin officiārī "to perform a function," derivative of Latin officium "duty, office"

First Known Use

Verb

1623, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

Rhymes for officiate

• abdicate
• abrogate
• acetate
• activate
• actuate
• aggravate
• agitate
• alginate
• alienate
• allocate
• amputate
• angulate

Kids Definition

officiate

verb

of·​fi·​ci·​ate ə-ˈfish-ē-ˌāt 

officiated; officiating

1

: to perform a ceremony

officiate at a wedding

2

: to act as an officer

officiated at the annual meeting

3

: to enforce the rules of (a game or sport)

officiate a soccer match