Word.ws English Dictionary

ref.

ref. is the abbreviation of reference.

Meaning of reference

Noun

reference (countable and uncountable, plural references)

  1. (archaic, literary) A relationship or relation (to something).
    • A man is beloued of a man, in that he is a man, but all theſe are farre more eminent and great, when they ſhal proceed from a ſanctified ſpirit, that hath a true touch of Religion, and a reference to God.1624, Democritus Junior [pseudonym; Robert Burton], “Charity, compoſed of all three kindes, Pleaſant, Profitable, Honeſt”, in The Anatomy of Melancholy: […], 2nd edition, Oxford, Oxfordshire: […]...
  2. A measurement one can compare (some other measurement) to.
  3. Information about a person, provided by someone (a referee) with whom they are well acquainted.
    • Changes will befall, and friends may part, / But distance only cannot change the heart / And were I call’d to prove th’ assertion true, / One proof should serve—a reference to you.a. 1800, William Cowper, “An Epistle to Joseph Hill, Esq.”, in The Task, Tirocinium, and Other Poems, page 180
  4. (US, especially) A person who provides this information; a referee.
  5. (attributive, often) A reference work.
    • reference grammar
  6. The act of referring: a submitting for information or decision.

See all 16 meanings of reference

Noun capitalized: Ref.

Ref.

  1. (abbreviation) Abbreviation of refining.
  2. (abbreviation) Abbreviation of referee (title).

Adjective capitalized: Ref.

Ref. (not comparable)

  1. (abbreviation) Abbreviation of Reformed.

Forms of ref.

pluralrefs.

Questions about ref.

What is ref. the abbreviation of?
Ref. is the abbreviation of reference.
What part of speech is ref.?
Ref. can be a noun or an adjective.
What is the plural of ref.?
The plural of ref. is refs..

Words near ref. in the dictionary

  1. reextractions
  2. reextradition
  3. reezed
  4. ref
  5. ref sheet
  6. ref.
  7. refabricate
  8. refabricated
  9. refabricates
  10. refabricating
  11. refabrication

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: ref. (page history and authors); Ref. (page history and authors); reference (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

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Cite this entry: “ref..” Word.ws, https://word.ws/ref.. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.