officiate

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

Examples of officiate in a Sentence

The bishop officiated the memorial Mass.

Two referees officiated the hockey game.

Recent Examples on the Web

The coach, who has officiated for USA Cheer in the past, expects her team to continue competing for titles well into the future. —Christian Babcock, The Mercury News, 31 Jan. 2025

Edelman shared insight on how teams prepare not only for an opponent each week, but also the officiating crew. —Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 29 Jan. 2025

Both coaches successfully utilized challenges in the first half, irked by a tightly and often incorrectly officiated contest. —Bennett Durando, The Denver Post, 29 Jan. 2025

After their friend officiated the ceremony, Quilee and Leilani had a romantic first dance, which was hilariously interrupted by a loud ticket blaster machine. —Ashlyn Robinette, People.com, 23 Jan. 2025

Word History

Etymology

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

1623, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

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