Definition of "reference" []

• An act of referring: filed away the article for future reference. (noun)
• Significance in a specified context: Her speeches have special reference to environmental policy. (noun)
• Meaning or denotation. (noun)
• The state of being related or referred: with reference to; in reference to. (noun)
• A mention of an occurrence or situation: made frequent references to her promotion. (noun)

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.

• "As for the title reference, I know it's not Team America, but I can't remember who said it next."
• "Perhaps the rain reference is just a California thing."
• "The Darwin reference is a bit daunting, considering what we do here -- no?"