Reference Definition & Meaning

American

British

Idioms

Usage

Other Word Forms

Etymology

Examples

Related Words

Synonyms reference American [ref-er-uhns, ref-ruhns] / ˈrɛf ər əns, ˈrɛf rəns /

noun

1. an act or instance of referring.

2. a mention; allusion.

3. something for which a name or designation stands; denotation.

4. a direction in a book or writing to some other book, passage, etc.

   Synonyms: citation, note

5. a book, passage, etc., to which one is directed.

6. reference mark.

7. material contained in a footnote or bibliography, or referred to by a reference mark.

8. use or recourse for purposes of information.

   a library for public reference.

9. a book or other source of useful facts or information, such as an encyclopedia, dictionary, etc.

10. a person to whom one refers for testimony as to one's character, abilities, etc.

11. a statement, usually written, as to a person's character, abilities, etc.

    Synonyms: endorsement

12. relation, regard, or respect.

    all persons, without reference to age.

    Synonyms: concern, consideration

verb (used with object)

referenced, referencing

1. to furnish (a book, dissertation, etc.) with references.

   Each new volume is thoroughly referenced.

2. to arrange (notes, data, etc.) for easy reference.

   Statistical data is referenced in the glossary.

3. to refer to.

   to reference a file.

reference British / ˈrɛfərəns, ˌrɛfəˈrɛnʃəl, ˈrɛfrəns /

noun

1. the act or an instance of referring

2. something referred, esp proceedings submitted to a referee in law

3. a direction of the attention to a passage elsewhere or to another book, document, etc

4. a book or passage referred to

5. a mention or allusion

   this book contains several references to the Civil War

6. philosophy

   1. the relation between a word, phrase, or symbol and the object or idea to which it refers

   2. the object referred to by an expression Compare sense

7. 1. a source of information or facts

   2. ( as modifier )

      a reference book

      a reference library

8. a written testimonial regarding one's character or capabilities

9. a person referred to for such a testimonial

10. 1. (foll by to) relation or delimitation, esp to or by membership of a specific class or group; respect or regard

       all people, without reference to sex or age

    2. ( as modifier )

       a reference group

11. a fact forming the basis of an evaluation or assessment; criterion

12. the specific limits of responsibility that determine the activities of an investigating body, etc

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

verb

1. to furnish or compile a list of references for (an academic thesis, publication, etc)

2. to make a reference to; refer to

   he referenced Chomsky, 1956

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

preposition

1. re. commerce with reference to

   reference your letter of the 9th inst

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012 reference Idioms

1. see in regard (reference) to.

Usage

What does reference mean? Reference means an act of referring, that is, an act of directing someone to something, Jaya noted the name of the author for future reference.Reference also means a direct mention or to the actual books or materials that someone is being referred to, as in The greedy pig named Bob Bacon was a reference to the actual business tycoon of the same name.Reference can also mean material that can be referred to for information, as in The encyclopedia is a good reference to use when doing your homework.In a piece of writing, a reference is a direction or citation leading a reader to another book or passage for more information, as in The author listed several references at the bottom of the page.Any of these senses can also be used as verbs, as in All of the graphical data was referenced at the end of the study.Reference is also commonly used to mean people that give testimony about a person’s character, such as for a job application, as in The teacher agreed to be listed as a reference on Namita’s college application.Example: Teachers often tell their students how many references their research papers need to have.

Other Word Forms

• misreference noun
• nonreference noun
• prereference noun
• referencer noun
• referential adjective
• subreference noun
• unreferenced adjective

Etymology

Origin of reference

First recorded in 1580–90; refer + -ence

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Eljamel's private practice work is not included in the public inquiry's terms of reference.

From BBC

Instead, it referenced the charges against Zapata Rivera’s wife and suggested he had only pretended to have a medical crisis while refusing help from paramedics.

From Salon

If you don’t have Holden or her book for reference, you can call your brokerage and ask them to walk you through your first trades.

From MarketWatch

Both indexes are cornerstones of “Dow Theory,” he said, referencing a longstanding observation that stock markets move in predictable waves tied to economic growth.

From Barron's

The EPU index measures the frequency of newspaper articles that contain references to the economy, government regulations and policy, and uncertainty.

From MarketWatch

Related Words

• allusion
• hint
• innuendo
• mention
• note
• quotation

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.