What does "refs" mean?

1. (sports officials) the people in a sports game who make sure everyone follows the rules. 2. (document references) a list of sources or books mentioned at the end of a report or essay.

How do you use "refs"?

Commonly used in speech and sports journalism as a shorter alternative to 'referees'. Frequently used in academic shorthand or informal professional communication.

refs

UK //ɹˈɛfs// refs

1 sports officials (n.)
B1 Intermediate Informal Sport

the people in a sports game who make sure everyone follows the rules.

the plural of 'ref', a clipped form of 'referee'; refers to officials who supervise a match.

Example

The fans were angry because the refs missed a clear foul.

Example

The league decided to increase the number of refs on the field to ensure better coverage of high-speed plays.

Usage

Commonly used in speech and sports journalism as a shorter alternative to 'referees'.
- referees
- officials
- umpires
- players
2 document references (n.)
B2 Upper Intermediate Informal Academic

a list of sources or books mentioned at the end of a report or essay.

the plural of 'ref', a clipped form of 'reference'; used in academic or professional contexts to denote citations.

Example

Don't forget to check your refs before you submit the final paper.

Example

The editor noted that several of the refs in the bibliography were missing their publication dates.

Usage

Frequently used in academic shorthand or informal professional communication.

Origin

Short for refreshments.

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

Last updated June 20, 2026