refer

[ ri-fur ]

/ rɪˈfɜr /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR refer ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used with object), re·ferred, re·fer·ring.

to direct for information or anything required: He referred me to books on astrology.

to direct the attention or thoughts of: The asterisk refers the reader to a footnote.

to hand over or submit for information, consideration, decision, etc.: to refer the argument to arbitration.

to assign to a class, period, etc.; regard as belonging or related.

to have relation; relate; apply.

verb (used without object), re·ferred, re·fer·ring.

to direct attention, as a reference mark does.

to have recourse or resort; turn, as for aid or information: to refer to one's notes.

to make reference or allusion: The author referred to his teachers twice in his article.

Origin of refer

1325–75; Middle English referren < Latin referre to bring back, equivalent to re- re- + ferre to bring, bear¹

SYNONYMS FOR refer

4 attribute, ascribe, impute.

5 pertain, belong.

8 advert, allude.

SEE SYNONYMS FOR refer ON THESAURUS.COM

OTHER WORDS FROM refer

ref·er·a·ble, re·fer·ra·ble, re·fer·ri·ble

[ref-er-uh-buhl, ri-fur-] /ˈrɛf ər ə bəl, rɪˈfɜr-/, adjective re·fer·rer, noun mis·re·fer, verb, mis·re·ferred, mis·re·fer·ring. pre·re·fer, verb (used with object), pre·re·ferred, pre·re·fer·ring.

un·re·ferred, adjective well-re·ferred, adjective

Words nearby refer

refect, refection, refectory, refectory table, refel, refer, referee, reference, reference book, reference electrode, reference frame

Example sentences from the Web for referring

“You are applying Western metrics to someone who is not using that metric against you,” referring to ISIS, Bolger said.

Pentagon Doesn’t Know How Many People It’s Killed in the ISIS War |Nancy A. Youssef |January 7, 2015 |DAILY BEAST
“A mother has lost a son,” referring to his late cousin Akai.

Protesters Demand Justice For Gurley As Gap Grows Between Cops and NYC |M.L. Nestel |December 28, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
He was referring to web censorship behind the Great Firewall.

China’s Internet Is Freer Than You Think |Brendon Hong |December 27, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
He was referring to the genocide of Muslims during the Bosnian War.

When Countries Lose Their Shit Over American Movies |Asawin Suebsaeng |December 17, 2014 |DAILY BEAST

I ask Alexander Gilkes, referring to Prince William and Kate Middleton, whose wedding he attended.

William, Kate, and Jay Z’s Favorite Art Star: Alexander Gilkes' World of Rock Stars and Royalty |Tim Teeman |December 10, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
The Times, referring to the debate on the Irish Church, remarked that the viceroyalty was more and more 'a mere ornament.'

The Land-War In Ireland (1870) |James Godkin
It is tautology, for two sentences further on it is all expressed in its proper place, in referring to the history of the king.

Junius Unmasked |Joel Moody
"There is nothing at all dreadful, nothing that would shock you," he said, referring to the appearance of the dying man.

The Secret of the League |Ernest Bramah
"She writes that her mother is very ill," proceeded the young man, referring again to the letter.

The Masked Bridal |Mrs. Georgie Sheldon
Giuliana had asked no questions, and Maria had been sure that there would never be any need of referring to her secret again.

A Lady of Rome |F. Marion Crawford

British Dictionary definitions for referring

refer

/ (rɪˈfɜː) /

verb -fers, -ferring or -ferred (often foll by to)

(intr) to make mention (of)

(tr) to direct the attention of (someone) for information, facts, etc the reader is referred to Chomsky, 1965

(intr) to seek information (from) I referred to a dictionary of English usage; he referred to his notes

(intr) to be relevant (to); pertain or relate (to) this song refers to an incident in the Civil War

(tr) to assign or attribute Cromwell referred his victories to God

(tr) to hand over for consideration, reconsideration, or decision to refer a complaint to another department

(tr) to hand back to the originator as unacceptable or unusable

(tr) British to fail (a student) in an examination

(tr) British to send back (a thesis) to a student for improvement

refer to drawer a request by a bank that the payee consult the drawer concerning a cheque payable by that bank (usually because the drawer has insufficient funds in his account), payment being suspended in the meantime

(tr) to direct (a patient) for treatment to another doctor, usually a specialist

(tr) social welfare to direct (a client) to another agency or professional for a service

Derived forms of refer

referable (ˈrɛfərəbəl) or referrable (rɪˈfɜːrəbəl), adjective referral, noun referrer, noun

Word Origin for refer

C14: from Latin referre to carry back, from re- + ferre to bear 1

usage for refer

The common practice of adding back to refer is tautologous, since this meaning is already contained in the re- of refer: this refers to (not back to) what has already been said . However, when refer is used in the sense of passing a document or question for further consideration to the person from whom it was received, it may be appropriate to say he referred the matter back

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

refer

verb (used with object), re·ferred, re·fer·ring.

verb (used without object), re·ferred, re·fer·ring.

Origin of refer

SYNONYMS FOR refer

OTHER WORDS FROM refer

Words nearby refer

Example sentences from the Web for referring

British Dictionary definitions for referring

verb -fers, -ferring or -ferred (often foll by to)

Derived forms of refer

Word Origin for refer

usage for refer

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

refer

verb (used with object), re·ferred, re·fer·ring.

verb (used without object), re·ferred, re·fer·ring.

Origin of refer

SYNONYMS FOR refer

OTHER WORDS FROM refer

Words nearby refer

Words related to referring

Example sentences from the Web for referring

(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []) .push({}); British Dictionary definitions for referring

verb -fers, -ferring or -ferred (often foll by to)

Derived forms of refer

Word Origin for refer

usage for refer

British Dictionary definitions for referring