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Definition of "officiate" []

  • To perform the duties and functions of an office or a position of authority. (verb-intransitive)
  • To serve as an officiant. (verb-intransitive)
  • Sports To serve as a referee or umpire. (verb-intransitive)
  • Usage Problem To perform from a position of authority (an official duty or function). (verb-transitive)
  • Usage Problem To serve as an officiant at (a ceremony): officiated the wedding ceremony. (verb-transitive)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Use "officiate" in a sentence
  • "Yeah, and I'd say they "officiate" more than they "judge" anyway, so election official is an accurate description."
  • "A German "woman bishop", who alledgedly had been ordained by an unnamed sympathetic real bishop, will "officiate" at tomorrow's ceremony."
  • "The primary focus of interest was as to who would "officiate" during his hospitalisation."