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refer definition

re·fer (ri fʉr′)

transitive verb referred -·ferred′, referring -·fer′·ring

  1. to assign or attribute (to) as cause or origin
  2. to assign, or regard or name as belonging (to a kind, class, date, etc.)
  3. to submit (a quarrel, question, etc.) for determination or settlement
  4. to send or direct (someone) to someone or something for aid, information, etc.

Etymology: ME referren < MFr referer < L referre < re-, back + ferre, to bear

intransitive verb

  1. to relate or apply (to); be concerned or deal
  2. to direct attention, or make reference or allusion (to) to refer to an earlier event
  3. to turn for information, aid, or authority (to) to refer to a map

Related Forms:

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2005 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

refer Synonyms

refer

v.

  1. To concern

    regard, relate, have relation, have to do with, apply, be about, answer to, involve, connect, be a matter of, have a bearing on, correspond with, bear upon, comprise, include, belong, pertain, have reference, take in, cover, appertain, point, hold, encompass, incorporate, touch, deal with; see also concern 1.

  2. To mention

    allude to, bring up, direct a remark, make reference to, make an allusion to, advert, ascribe, direct attention to, call attention to, attribute, cite, quote, hint at, point out, point to, note, notice, indicate, speak about, suggest, touch on, give as an example, associate, adduce, exemplify, instance, excerpt, extract; see also mention.

  3. To direct

    send to, put in touch with, transfer, relegate, commit, submit to, assign, give a recommendation to, introduce; see also designate 1, lead 1.

refer implies deliberate, direct, and open mention of something he referred in detail to their corrupt practices; allude implies indirect, often casual mention, as by a hint or a figure of speech although she used different names, she was alluding to her family


Webster's New World Roget's A-Z Thesaurus Copyright © 1999 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

refer Usage Examples

Object

  • dispute: The notifying Party refers the dispute to the Adjudicator within seven days of the notice.

Modifying Another Word

  • commonly: The term ' e-Science ' commonly refers to large-scale scientific collaborations carried out over t.. .

Infinitive complement

  • will: Once this confusion has been cleared up then maybe the poster you refer to will seem perfectly sober.

Preposition: in

  • instance: Any dispute regarding the assignment of student IPR will be referred in the first instance to the Student IP Committee.

Preposition: for

  • assessment: In the 32 months to June 1995, 43 patients with alcoholic liver disease were referred for assessment for liver transplantation.

Preposition: by

  • GP: Patients can be referred by GPs to any of the four consultants.
refer usage examples (more)

The word usage examples above have been gathered from various sources to reflect current and historical usage. They do not represent the opinions of YourDictionary.com.

refer quotes

Rule1: Be cautious, careful and when in doubt, keep your mouth shut. Rule 2: When tempted to say something, take a deep breath and refer to Rule1.

-Ito, Lance Allan

refer quotes (more)

Webster's New World Dictionary of Quotations Copyright © 2005 by Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved. Published by Wiley, Hoboken, NJ. Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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MLA Style

"refer." Webster's New World College Dictionary. 2009

  • Your Dictionary. 4 July 2009
  • <www.yourdictionary.com/refer>

APA Style

refer. (2009). In Webster's New World College Dictionary

  • Retrieved July 4th, 2009, from www.yourdictionary.com/refer

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