- (v.t.) To place in or under by a mental or rational process; to assign to, as a class, a cause, source, a motive, reason or ground of explanation; as, he referred the phenomena to electrical disturbances.
- (v.i.) To have relation or reference; to relate; to point; as, the figure refers to a footnote.
- (v.i.) To direct inquiry for information or a guarantee of any kind, as in respect to one's integrity, capacity, pecuniary ability, and the like; as, I referred to his employer for the truth of his story.
- (v.t.) To carry or send back.
- (v.i.) To have recourse; to apply; to appeal; to betake one's self; as, to refer to a dictionary.
- (v.i.) To carry the mind or thought; to direct attention; as, the preacher referred to the late election.
- (v.t.) Hence: To send or direct away; to send or direct elsewhere, as for treatment, aid, information, decision, etc.; to make over or pass over, to another; as, to refer a student to an author; to refer a beggar to an officer; to refer a bill to a committee; a court refers a matter of fact to a commissioner for investigation or refers a question of law to a superior tribunal.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary
| APA | Webster's. (2011). refer. Retrieved September 20, 2026, from http://smartdefine.org/refer/definitions/2053724 |
| Chicago | Webster's. 2011. "refer" http://smartdefine.org/refer/definitions/2053724 (accessed September 20, 2026). |
| Harvard | Webster's 2011, refer, Smart Define, viewed 20 September, 2026, <http://smartdefine.org/refer/definitions/2053724>. |
| MLA | Webster's. "refer" 27 May 2011. Web. 20 September 2026. <http://smartdefine.org/refer/definitions/2053724> |