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.

• "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."