ENGLISH
REFERENCE

refer

v. · n.
US //ɹəˈfɝ// UK //ɹɪfˈɜː// re·fer
  1. 1 to mention (v.)
    B1 Intermediate

    to talk about or mention something or someone briefly.

    to make mention of or direct attention to something or someone. Intransitive and typically requires the preposition 'to'.

    Example

    In her speech, she referred to the help she received from her family.

    Example

    The speaker referred to several recent studies to support his argument that urban green spaces significantly improve mental health.
    Pitfall
    He referred the problem in the meeting.
    He referred to the problem in the meeting.

    When you mention something, you must use the preposition 'to' after 'refer'.

  2. 2 to send for help (v.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate Medicine

    to send someone to a person or place for treatment, help, or advice.

    to direct a person to a specialist, authority, or source of information for consultation or action. Transitive; takes a direct object and the preposition 'to'.

    Example

    The doctor referred him to a specialist for further tests on his knee.

    Example

    After the initial assessment, the general practitioner referred the patient to a cardiologist for a more comprehensive diagnostic evaluation.
  3. 3 to mean or represent (v.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate

    to be used as a name for something or to describe a specific thing.

    to serve as a name for or to denote a specific object, person, or idea. Intransitive; used with 'to'.

    Example

    The term 'the Big Apple' refers to New York City.

    Example

    In this specific legal context, the word 'property' refers only to physical land and buildings, excluding intellectual assets.
  4. 4 to look at for information (v.)
    B1 Intermediate

    to look at a book, map, or website to find information.

    to consult a source of information for facts or guidance. Intransitive; used with 'to'.

    Example

    Please refer to the map on page five to find the nearest station.

    Example

    Students are encouraged to refer to the original manuscript rather than relying solely on modern translations which may lack nuance.
  5. 5 computing (v.)
    C1 Advanced Technical Computing

    to point to a specific place in a computer's memory or a piece of data.

    to point to a specific memory address or object within a program's execution environment.

    Example

    This variable refers to the user's saved profile information.

    Example

    The pointer refers to a specific block of memory that was allocated during the initialization phase of the application.
  6. 6 newspaper blurb (n.)
    C2 Proficiency Technical

    a short note on the front page of a newspaper telling you where to find the full story.

    a brief promotional text or headline on a publication's cover that directs the reader to a full article inside.

    Example

    The front-page refer pointed readers to the sports section for the full interview.

    Example

    The editor decided to place a prominent refer on the home page to drive traffic toward the investigative report buried in the lifestyle section.
Origin

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.

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

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Last updated June 19, 2026