refer
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Related to refer: refer back
re·fer
(rĭ-fûr′)v. re·ferred, re·fer·ring, re·fers
v.tr.
1. To direct to a source for help or information: referred her to a heart specialist; referred me to his last employer for a recommendation.
2. To submit (a matter in dispute) to an authority for arbitration, decision, or examination.
3. To direct the attention of: I refer you to the training manual.
4.
a. To assign or attribute to; regard as originated by.
b. To assign to or regard as belonging within a particular kind or class: referred the newly discovered partita to the 1600s. See Synonyms at attribute.
v.intr.
1.
a. To relate or pertain; concern: questions referring to yesterday's lecture.
b. To serve as a descriptor or have as a denotation: The word chair refers to a piece of furniture.
2. To speak or write about something briefly or incidentally; make reference: referred during our conversation to several books he was reading.
3. To turn one's attention, as in seeking information: refer to a dictionary.
[Middle English referren, from Old French referer, from Latin referre : re-, re- + ferre, to carry; see bher- in Indo-European roots.]
ref′er·a·ble (rĕf′ər-ə-bəl, rĭ-fûr′-) adj.
re·fer′ral n.
re·fer′rer n.
Usage Note: Some people consider the phrase refer back to be redundant, since refer contains the prefix re-, which was brought into English from Latin and originally meant "back." But such an argument is based on what linguists call the "etymological fallacy"—the assumption that the meaning of a word should always reflect the meanings of the words, roots, and affixes from which it was derived. In fact, most words change their meanings over time, often to the point where their historical roots are completely obscured. Such change is natural and usually goes unnoticed except by scholars. We conduct inaugurations without consulting soothsayers (augurs), and we don't necessarily share bread (pānis in Latin) with our companions. In fact, refer is quite often used in contexts that don't involve the meaning "back" at all, as in The doctor referred her patient to a specialist or Please refer to this menu of our daily specials. As for refer back, the Usage Panel's position has shifted dramatically over the years. In 1995, 65 percent of the Panel disapproved of this construction, but by 2011, 81 percent accepted it in the sentence To answer your question it is necessary to refer back to the minutes of the previous meeting. In such cases, where the "back" meaning of re- has largely disappeared, adding back can provide useful semantic information, indicating that the person or thing being referred to has been mentioned or consulted before. The Panel remains somewhat less tolerant of constructions like revert back, in which the verb retains the sense "back" as part of its meaning: in 2011, 67 percent accepted revert back in the sentence After his divorce he seemed to revert back to his adolescence. In this context, back may simply be used to provide emphasis, perhaps suggesting a greater step backward than the verb by itself would. In any case, the prevalence of phrases that combine back and words prefixed with re- indicates that such constructions are a robust feature of English, even if they do appear to be logically redundant.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
refer
(rɪˈfɜː)vb (often foll by to) , -fers, -ferring or -ferred
1. (intr) to make mention (of)
2. (tr) to direct the attention of (someone) for information, facts, etc: the reader is referred to Chomsky, 1965.
3. (intr) to seek information (from): I referred to a dictionary of English usage; he referred to his notes.
4. (intr) to be relevant (to); pertain or relate (to): this song refers to an incident in the Civil War.
5. (tr) to assign or attribute: Cromwell referred his victories to God.
6. (tr) to hand over for consideration, reconsideration, or decision: to refer a complaint to another department.
7. (tr) to hand back to the originator as unacceptable or unusable
8. (Education) (tr) Brit to fail (a student) in an examination
9. (Education) (tr) Brit to send back (a thesis) to a student for improvement
10. (Banking & Finance) refer to drawer a request by a bank that the payee consult the drawer concerning a cheque payable by that bank (usually because the drawer has insufficient funds in his account), payment being suspended in the meantime
11. (Medicine) (tr) to direct (a patient) for treatment to another doctor, usually a specialist
12. (Social Welfare) (tr) social welfare to direct (a client) to another agency or professional for a service
[C14: from Latin referre to carry back, from re- + ferre to bear1]
referable, referrable adj
reˈferral n
reˈferrer n
Usage: The common practice of adding back to refer is tautologous, since this meaning is already contained in the re- of refer: this refers to (not back to) what has already been said. However, when refer is used in the sense of passing a document or question for further consideration to the person from whom it was received, it may be appropriate to say he referred the matter back
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
re•fer
(rɪˈfɜr)v. -ferred, -fer•ring. v.t.
1. to direct to a person, place, etc., for information or anything required.
2. to direct the attention of: The asterisk refers the reader to a footnote.
3. to submit for decision, information, etc.: to refer a dispute to arbitration.
4. to assign to a class, period, etc.; classify.
5. to have relation; relate; apply.
v.i. 6. to direct attention.
7. to have recourse, as for aid or information.
8. to make reference or allusion.
ref•er•a•ble, re•fer•ra•ble (ˈrɛf ər ə bəl, rɪˈfɜr-) adj.
re•fer′rer, n.
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
See also related terms for hint.
Farlex Trivia Dictionary. © 2012 Farlex, Inc. All rights reserved.
refer
Past participle: referred
Gerund: referring
| Imperative |
|---|
| refer |
| refer |
Collins English Verb Tables © HarperCollins Publishers 2011
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Switch to new thesaurus
| Verb | 1. | refer - make reference to; "His name was mentioned in connection with the invention" have in mind, think of, mean - intend to refer to; "I'm thinking of good food when I talk about France"; "Yes, I meant you when I complained about people who gossip!" commend, remember - mention as by way of greeting or to indicate friendship; "Remember me to your wife" speak of the devil - mention someone's name who just then appears remember - mention favorably, as in prayer; "remember me in your prayers" quote, cite - refer to for illustration or proof; "He said he could quote several instances of this behavior" touch on - refer to or discuss briefly invoke, appeal - cite as an authority; resort to; "He invoked the law that would save him"; "I appealed to the law of 1900"; "She invoked an ancient law" namedrop - refer to people that one assumes one's interlocutors admire in order to try to impress them bring up, raise - put forward for consideration or discussion; "raise the question of promotions"; "bring up an unpleasant topic" cross-refer - refer from one entry to another, as in catalogues, books, and lists |
| 2. | refer - be relevant to; "There were lots of questions referring to her talk"; "My remark pertained to your earlier comments" allude, advert, touch - make a more or less disguised reference to; "He alluded to the problem but did not mention it" center, center on, concentrate on, focus on, revolve about, revolve around - center upon; "Her entire attention centered on her children"; "Our day revolved around our work" go for, apply, hold - be pertinent or relevant or applicable; "The same laws apply to you!"; "This theory holds for all irrational numbers"; "The same rules go for everyone" | |
| 3. | refer - think of, regard, or classify under a subsuming principle or with a general group or in relation to another; "This plant can be referred to a known species" | |
| 4. | refer - send or direct for treatment, information, or a decision; "refer a patient to a specialist"; "refer a bill to a committee" submit, subject - refer for judgment or consideration; "The lawyers submitted the material to the court" send, direct - cause to go somewhere; "The explosion sent the car flying in the air"; "She sent her children to camp"; "He directed all his energies into his dissertation" recommit - send back to a committee; "The bill was recommitted three times in the House" | |
| 5. | refer - seek information from; "You should consult the dictionary"; "refer to your notes" research - attempt to find out in a systematically and scientific manner; "The student researched the history of that word" | |
| 6. | refer - have as a meaning; "`multi-' denotes `many' " signify, stand for, mean, intend - denote or connote; "`maison' means `house' in French"; "An example sentence would show what this word means" denote - be a sign or indication of; "Her smile denoted that she agreed" twist around, convolute, pervert, sophisticate, twist - practice sophistry; change the meaning of or be vague about in order to mislead or deceive; "Don't twist my words" hark back, recall, come back, return - go back to something earlier; "This harks back to a previous remark of his" identify, name - give the name or identifying characteristics of; refer to by name or some other identifying characteristic property; "Many senators were named in connection with the scandal"; "The almanac identifies the auspicious months" apply - refer (a word or name) to a person or thing; "He applied this racial slur to me!" slur - speak disparagingly of; e.g., make a racial slur; "your comments are slurring your co-workers" | |
| 7. | refer - use a name to designate; "Christians refer to the mother of Jesus as the Virgin Mary" |
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.
refer
verb
refer to something or someone
1. allude to, mention, cite, speak of, bring up, invoke, hint at, touch on, make reference, make mention of He referred to a recent trip to Canada.
2. relate to, mean, concern, describe, represent, indicate, apply to, stand for, signify, denote, pertain to, be relevant to The term `electronics' refers to electrically-induced action.
3. consult, go, apply, turn to, look up, have recourse to, seek information from He referred briefly to his notebook.
Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002
refer
verb2. To regard as belonging to or resulting from another:
3. To call or direct attention to something:
4. To be pertinent:
Idioms: have a bearing on, have to do with.
5. To look to when in need:
Idioms: fall back on, have recourse to.
The American Heritage® Roget's Thesaurus. Copyright © 2013, 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Translations
يَبْحَث عن مَعْلوماتيُحيل إلى، يَرْفَعيُشيرُ إلىيُشير إلى، يَذْكُريُشير، يَنْطَبِق، يَتَعَلَّق بِ، يَخُص
mluvit opodívat se dopostoupitpředatvztahovat se
henviseomtalerefererereferere til
neuvoaohjataviitataviitata johonkin
uputiti na
hivatkozikvonatkozik
leita til/ívarîavísa tilvísa til, minnast á
口に出す
언급하다
informacinė knygakalbėtinuorodaparankinė bibliotekarekomenduojantis asmuo
atsauktiesattiektieskonsultētiesmeklēt uzziņunodot
pozrieť sa
govoritinanašati senapotitizateči se k
hänvisa
อ้างอิง
-den söz etmek-e bakmak-e göndermek-e ilişkin olmakolmak
nhắc đến
refer
[rɪˈfɜːʳ]A. VT
1. (= send, direct) → remitir
to refer sth to sb → remitir algo a algn
I have to refer it to my boss → tengo que remitírselo a mi jefe → tengo que consultarlo con mi jefe
to refer a dispute to arbitration → someter or remitir una disputa al arbitraje
the case has been referred to the Supreme Court → han diferido el caso al Tribunal Supremo
the decision has been referred to us → la decisión se ha dejado a nuestro juicio
to refer sb to sth/sb: I referred him to the manager → lo envié a que viera al gerente
the doctor referred me to a specialist → el médico me mandó a un especialista
the reader is referred to page 15 → remito al lector a la página 15
"refer to drawer" (on cheque) → devolver al librador
to refer sth to sb → remitir algo a algn
I have to refer it to my boss → tengo que remitírselo a mi jefe → tengo que consultarlo con mi jefe
to refer a dispute to arbitration → someter or remitir una disputa al arbitraje
the case has been referred to the Supreme Court → han diferido el caso al Tribunal Supremo
the decision has been referred to us → la decisión se ha dejado a nuestro juicio
to refer sb to sth/sb: I referred him to the manager → lo envié a que viera al gerente
the doctor referred me to a specialist → el médico me mandó a un especialista
the reader is referred to page 15 → remito al lector a la página 15
"refer to drawer" (on cheque) → devolver al librador
2. (= ascribe) → atribuir
he refers his mistake to tiredness → el error lo achaca a su cansancio, atribuye el error a su cansancio
he refers the painting to the 14th century → atribuye el cuadro al siglo XIV
he refers his mistake to tiredness → el error lo achaca a su cansancio, atribuye el error a su cansancio
he refers the painting to the 14th century → atribuye el cuadro al siglo XIV
3. (Brit) (Univ) [+ student] → suspender
B. VI to refer to
1. (= relate to) → referirse a
this refers to you all → esto se refiere a todos ustedes, esto va para todos ustedes
the rules do not refer to special cases → las normas no son aplicables a los casos especiales
this refers to you all → esto se refiere a todos ustedes, esto va para todos ustedes
the rules do not refer to special cases → las normas no son aplicables a los casos especiales
2. (= allude to) → referirse a
I am not referring to you → no me estoy refiriendo a ti
I refer to your letter of 1st May → con relación a su carta con fecha del uno de mayo
I am not referring to you → no me estoy refiriendo a ti
I refer to your letter of 1st May → con relación a su carta con fecha del uno de mayo
refer back
A. VT + ADV [+ matter, decision] → volver a remitir; [+ person] → volver a mandar
the case was referred back to the Court of Appeal → el caso se volvió a remitir al Tribunal de Apelación
the pharmacist may refer you back to your doctor → puede que el farmacéutico te vuelva a mandar al médico de cabecera
the case was referred back to the Court of Appeal → el caso se volvió a remitir al Tribunal de Apelación
the pharmacist may refer you back to your doctor → puede que el farmacéutico te vuelva a mandar al médico de cabecera
Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005
refer
[rɪˈfɜːr] vtto refer sth to sb [+ dispute, decision, matter] → renvoyer qch devant qn
to refer sb to sb (for information) → adresser qn à qn, envoyer qn à qn
He referred me to the manager → Il m'a dit de m'adresser au directeur.
to refer sb to a specialist [+ patient] → envoyer qn voir un spécialiste
to refer sb to sth [+ reader] (to text) → renvoyer qn à qch
to be referred to hospital → être envoyé(e) à l'hôpital
refer to
vt fus (= speak of) → parler de, faire allusion à
What are you referring to? → À quoi faites-vous allusion?
to refer to sb as sth → appeler qn qch
He always referred to his friend as Mr Lowry → Il appelait toujours son ami M. Lowry., Lorsqu'il parlait de son ami, il disait toujours "M. Lowry".
referring to your letter → en réponse à votre lettre
What are you referring to? → À quoi faites-vous allusion?
to refer to sb as sth → appeler qn qch
He always referred to his friend as Mr Lowry → Il appelait toujours son ami M. Lowry., Lorsqu'il parlait de son ami, il disait toujours "M. Lowry".
referring to your letter → en réponse à votre lettre
(= consult) [+ recipe, manual, dictionary] → se reporter à
(= apply to) → s'appliquer à
Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005
refer
vt
(= pass) matter, problem → weiterleiten (→ to an +acc); decision → übergeben (to sb jdm); the case was referred to arbitration → der Fall wurde einem Schiedsgericht übergeben; it was referred to us for (a) decision → es wurde uns (dat) → zur Entscheidung übergeben; I referred him to the manager → ich verwies ihn an den Geschäftsführer; the patient was referred for tests → der Patient wurde zu Untersuchungen geschickt; the doctor referred him to a specialist → der Arzt überwies ihn an einen Spezialisten or schickte ihn zu einem Spezialisten; to refer somebody to the article on … → jdn auf den Artikel über (+acc) → … verweisen; to refer a cheque (Brit) or check (US) to drawer (Comm) → einen Scheck an den Aussteller zurücksenden
(Brit Univ) thesis → zur Änderung zurückgeben
vi
to refer to (= allude to) → sprechen von; (= mention also) → erwähnen; (words) → sich beziehen auf (+acc); I am not referring to you → ich meine nicht Sie; what can he be referring to? → was meint er wohl?, wovon spricht er wohl?; the letter refers to you all → der Brief gilt euch allen; referring to your letter (Comm) → mit Bezug auf Ihren Brief
(= apply to) to refer to (orders, rules) → gelten für; (criticism, remark) → sich beziehen auf (+acc)
(= consult) to refer to (to notes, book) → nachschauen in (+dat), → konsultieren (geh); to person → sich wenden an (+acc); you must refer to the original → Sie müssen aufs Original zurückgreifen
Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007
refer
[rɪˈfɜːʳ]1. vt (gen) to refer sth to (matter, decision) → sottoporre qc a qn, deferire qc a qn
to refer sb to sth → richiamare l'attenzione di qn su qc
he referred me to the manager → mi ha detto di rivolgermi al direttore
"refer to drawer" (on cheque) → "rivolgersi al traente"
to refer sb to sth → richiamare l'attenzione di qn su qc
he referred me to the manager → mi ha detto di rivolgermi al direttore
"refer to drawer" (on cheque) → "rivolgersi al traente"
2. vi to refer to
b. (allude to, directly) → fare riferimento a; (indirectly) → fare allusione or accenno a
referring to your letter (Comm) → in riferimento alla Vostra lettera
we will not refer to it again → non ne riparleremo più
referring to your letter (Comm) → in riferimento alla Vostra lettera
we will not refer to it again → non ne riparleremo più
c. (turn attention to, see) → consultare; (consult, person) → rivolgersi a
please refer to section 3 → vedi sezione 3
please refer to section 3 → vedi sezione 3
Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995
refer
(rəˈfəː) – past tense, past participle reˈferred – verb (with to).
1. to talk or write (about something); to mention. He doesn't like anyone referring to his wooden leg; I referred to your theories in my last book.
2. to relate to, concern, or apply to. My remarks refer to your last letter.
3. to send or pass on to someone else for discussion, information, a decision etc. The case was referred to a higher law-court; I'll refer you to the managing director.
4. to look for information (in something). If I'm not sure how to spell a word, I refer to a dictionary.
referee (refəˈriː) noun1. a person who controls boxing, football etc matches, makes sure that the rules are not broken etc. The referee sent two of the players off the field.
2. a person who is willing to provide a note about one's character, ability etc, eg when one applies for new job.
verb – past tense, past participle ˌrefeˈreed – to act as a referee for a match. I've been asked to referee (a football match) on Saturday.
reference (ˈrefərəns) noun1. (an) act of referring (to something); a mention (of something). He made several references to her latest book; With reference to your request for information, I regret to inform you that I am unable to help you.
2. a note about one's character, ability etc, eg when one applies for a new job. Our new secretary had excellent references from her previous employers.
3. an indication in a book, report etc, showing where one got one's information or where further information can be found.
reference book a book which is not usually read from beginning to end but which is consulted occasionally for information, eg a dictionary or encyclopaedia.
reference library a library of books to be looked at for information but not borrowed.
reference, noun, is spelt with -r-.
referred and referring are spelt with -rr-.
referred and referring are spelt with -rr-.
Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary © 2006-2013 K Dictionaries Ltd.
refer
→ يُشيرُ إلى zmínit (se) referere til sprechen von παραπέμπω remitir viitata johonkin référer uputiti na riferirsi 口に出す 언급하다 verwijzen referere odnieść się referir направлять hänvisa อ้างอิง söz etmek nhắc đến 提到Multilingual Translator © HarperCollins Publishers 2009
refer
v. referir, atribuir, asignar, referirse a.
English-Spanish Medical Dictionary © Farlex 2012
refer
vt (pret & pp referred; ger referring) (a patient) remitir, mandar a ver; I’m going to refer you to an allergist..Le voy a remitir a un alergólogo.English-Spanish/Spanish-English Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.