re·fer (r -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 assign or attribute to; regard as originated by. 3. To assign to or regard as belonging within a particular kind or class. 4. To submit (a matter in dispute) to an authority for arbitration, decision, or examination. 5. To direct the attention of: refer him to his duties. v.intr.1. To pertain; concern: questions referring to yesterday's lecture. 2. To make mention or reference. 3. To have recourse; turn: refer to a dictionary.
[Middle English referren, from Old French referer, from Latin referre : re-, re- + ferre, to carry; see bher-1 in Indo-European roots.]
refer·a·ble (r f r--bl, r-fûr-) adj. re·ferral n. re·ferrer n. Synonyms: refer, advert1, mention These verbs mean to call or direct attention to something: referred to my indiscretion; adverting to childhood experiences; often mentions his old friend. See Also Synonyms at attribute, resort. Usage Note: It is sometimes believed that the phrase refer back is redundant, since the prefix re- means "back," but the objection is misplaced. In fact, an expression can refer either to something that has already been mentioned or to something that is yet to be mentioned, and the distinction between refer back and refer ahead may thus be required for clarification. For example, the sentence Jones promised that if he was elected to the council, Harris would be made the council president is ambiguous, because the pronoun he may either refer back or refer ahead. See Usage Notes at allude, redundancy. |
refer Verb [-ferring, -ferred] refer to 1. to mention or allude to 2. to be relevant or relate (to): the word cancer refers to many quite specific different diseases 3. to seek information (from): he referred to his notes 4. to direct the attention of (someone) for information: the reader is referred to the introduction 5. to direct (a patient or client) to another doctor or agency: her GP referred her to a specialist 6. to hand over for consideration or decision: to refer a complaint to another department [Latin re- back + ferre to carry] referable referrable adjreferral nUSAGE: 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.
ThesaurusLegend: Synonyms Related Words Antonyms | 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" 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" 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" drag up, dredge up - mention something unpleasant from the past; "Drag up old stories" 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" 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" involve, regard, affect - connect closely and often incriminatingly; "This new ruling affects your business" | | 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" 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" state, express - indicate through a symbol, formula, etc.; "Can you express this distance in kilometers?" | | 7. | refer - use a name to designate; "Christians refer to the mother of Jesus as the Virgin Mary"call, name - assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to; "They named their son David"; "The new school was named after the famous Civil Rights leader" |
refer refer to something or someone 2. relate to, concern, apply to, pertain to, be relevant to 3. consult, go, apply, turn to, look up, have recourse to, seek information from USAGE It is usually unnecessary to add back to the verb refer, since the sense of back is already contained in the re- part of this word. For example, you might say This refers to (not refers back to) what has already been s aid. Refer back is only considered acceptable when used to mean `return a document or question to the person it came from for further consideration', as in he referred the matter back to me.  Translations refer [rɪˈfəːʳ] vt (= send) → remitir (= ascribe); referir a, relacionar convi to refer to (= allude to) → referirse a, aludir a (= apply to); relacionarse con (= consult); remitirse a; he referred me to the manager → me envió al gerente
 refer [rɪˈfəːʳ] vt to refer sth to [+ dispute, decision] → soumettre qch à;
 refer [rɪˈfəːʳ] vt to refer sb to ( book etc) → jdn verweisen auf +acc; to refer sth to ( task, problem) → etw übergeben an +acc;
 refer [rɪˈfəːʳ] vt to refer sth to [+ dispute, decision] → deferire qc a; to refer sb to [+ inquirer] ( for information) → indirizzare qn a [+ reader] ( to text) → rimandare qn a; he referred me to the manager → mi ha detto di rivolgermi al direttorerefer to vt fus (= allude to) → accennare a (= apply to); riferire a (= consult); rivolgersi a;
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