refer

refer — verb

1. when a doctor or healthcare professional sends a patient to see a medical specia

1.verbtransitiveB1
Definition

when a doctor or healthcare professional sends a patient to see a medical specialist or to go to a hospital for further examination or treatment

Example

The nurse practitioner referred Lan to a cardiologist after the ECG showed an irregular heartbeat.

active: refer + object + to + specialist

Patients with severe back pain are often referred to the orthopaedic clinic for an MRI scan.

passive: be referred to + clinic for + purpose

Common collocations
  • refer a patient to
  • be referred to a specialist
  • refer someone for treatment
  • medical referral
Synonyms
  • send

    less formal and less specific; 'send' does not imply a professional recommendation

  • transfer

    suggests moving a patient's care to another facility, not just a consultation

Grammar Patterns

refer + object + to + specialist/institution

be referred to + person/hospital/clinic

Usage Note

Frequently used in the passive voice (be referred to). The subject of the active form is typically a doctor, nurse, or medical professional. This sense is distinct from sense 2 (DIRECT TO SOURCE), which applies to non-medical contexts like customer service or administrative matters.

Common Mistakes

My doctor referred to a specialist.
My doctor referred me to a specialist.
In this medical sense, 'refer' is always followed by a direct object (the patient), then 'to' + the specialist.
I was referred the hospital.
I was referred to the hospital.
The preposition 'to' is required before the destination.

2. to tell someone to contact or go to a different person, department, organisation

2.verbtransitiveB1
Definition

to tell someone to contact or go to a different person, department, organisation, or place where they can get the help, information, or decision they need

Example

Aylin called the main office, but they referred her to the human resources department.

active: refer + object + to + department

The customer service team referred Christopher to the online refund portal to process his request.

refer + object + to + place + purpose clause

Common collocations
  • refer someone to a department
  • refer a customer to
  • refer a matter to
  • be referred for assistance
Synonyms
  • direct

    more general; 'direct' can be a simple instruction without official handover

  • send

    less formal; 'send' does not imply a recommendation or escalation

Grammar Patterns

refer + object + to + person/organisation/place

be referred to + department/service

Usage Note

Like sense 1, this sense uses the pattern 'refer + object + to + destination'. The difference is context: sense 1 is medical; sense 2 is administrative, customer-service, or general. Common in professional emails and business communication. Often used in the passive to sound neutral and official.

Common Mistakes

They referred me the IT department.
They referred me to the IT department.
'To' is essential before the destination. 'Refer' is not a ditransitive verb like 'give' or 'send'.

3. to mention or speak about someone or something, often briefly or in a general wa

3.verbintransitiveB1
Definition

to mention or speak about someone or something, often briefly or in a general way, without giving full details

Example

During the meeting, Élise referred to the budget cuts three times without offering any solutions.

refer + to + noun phrase

The article referred to the protest as a peaceful demonstration, though local media called it a riot.

refer + to + noun phrase + as + noun phrase

Common collocations
  • refer briefly to
  • refer to someone as
  • refer to a topic
  • refer to a matter
Synonyms
  • mention

    more direct and neutral; 'mention' does not imply indirectness

  • allude to

    more indirect or subtle; suggest without stating explicitly

  • touch on

    less formal; suggests a brief, incomplete treatment

Grammar Patterns

refer + to + noun phrase

refer + to + noun phrase + as + noun phrase

Usage Note

Unlike senses 1 and 2, this sense is intransitive — the verb takes no direct object. You must say 'refer to something' (not 'refer something'). Common in both speech and writing. The phrase 'refer to something/someone as…' adds a naming or describing function, overlapping with sense 6 (CLASSIFY AS) but with less formality.

Common Mistakes

He referred the problem in his speech.
He referred to the problem in his speech.
The preposition 'to' is mandatory when the meaning is 'mention'.
She referred about the issue.
She referred to the issue.
Use 'to', not 'about'.

4. to be about or directly connected with a particular person, thing, situation, or

4.verbintransitiveB2
Definition

to be about or directly connected with a particular person, thing, situation, or topic

Example

This new regulation refers only to businesses with more than fifty employees.

refer only to + noun phrase (scope marker)

The judge explained that the defendant's previous conviction did not refer to the current case.

Common collocations
  • refer only to
  • refer specifically to
  • refer directly to
  • rule/statement refers to
Synonyms
  • relate to

    slightly more formal; emphasises a logical connection

  • concern

    more direct; often used in official notices and titles

  • apply to

    suggests a rule or condition is relevant to someone

Grammar Patterns

refer + to + noun phrase

Usage Note

Not used in continuous (progressive) tenses — you cannot say 'is referring to' in this sense. Distinguish from sense 3 (MENTION OR ALLUDE): sense 3 describes the act of speaking about something; sense 4 describes an inherent connection or relevance. For example, 'He referred to the contract' (sense 3 — he mentioned it in conversation) vs 'This clause refers to the contract' (sense 4 — this clause is connected to the contract).

Common Mistakes

This rule is referring to part-time workers.
This rule refers to part-time workers.
Do not use the progressive form for the 'relate to/concern' meaning.
The question refers about page 12.
The question refers to page 12.
Use 'to', not 'about'.

5. to look at a book, document, map, website, or other source in order to find info

5.verbintransitiveB1
Definition

to look at a book, document, map, website, or other source in order to find information or check something

Example

Anong referred to the train timetable to check whether there was a later connection to Taipei.

refer + to + source + for/to + purpose

If you are unsure about the spelling, please refer to the dictionary on the shelf near the window.

Common collocations
  • refer to a dictionary
  • refer to the notes
  • refer to the manual
  • refer to a source
  • refer to a map
Synonyms
  • consult

    more formal; can be transitive ('consult a doctor')

  • look up

    informal; specifically for searching in a reference work

  • check

    less specific; implies confirming, not necessarily finding new information

Grammar Patterns

refer + to + noun phrase (book/map/note/document)

refer + to + noun phrase + for + information

Usage Note

This sense is commonly used in academic and professional contexts. The source is typically a written reference (dictionary, manual, map, website, notes). Unlike 'consult', which can take a direct object ('consult the dictionary'), 'refer' always needs 'to'. 'Look up' is the informal equivalent.

Common Mistakes

Please refer the notes on page 8.
Please refer to the notes on page 8.
The preposition 'to' is mandatory.

❌ 'Refer to page 12 for more details.' is correct. — Some learners overuse 'refer' where 'see' or 'check' would be more natural in informal speech.

6. to regard or describe someone or something as belonging to a particular type, gr

6.verbtransitiveC1
Definition

to regard or describe someone or something as belonging to a particular type, group, or category, often based on a shared characteristic or scientific principle

Example

In biology class, both dolphins and whales are referred to as marine mammals, not fish.

passive: be referred to as + category

Linguists often refer to Taiwanese Hokkien and Cantonese as Chinese regional languages rather than dialects.

active: refer + to + noun + as + classification

Common collocations
  • refer to something as
  • be referred to as
  • commonly referred to as
  • collectively referred to as
Synonyms

Grammar Patterns

be referred to + as + noun phrase

refer + to + noun phrase + as + noun phrase

Usage Note

Typically used in formal or academic writing. The passive construction 'be referred to as…' is far more common than the active form. Distinguish from sense 3 (MENTION OR ALLUDE): sense 3 is about mentioning something in passing, while sense 6 is about assigning a category or label. For instance, 'She referred to him as a friend' (sense 3 — she called him a friend in conversation) vs 'The species is referred to the genus Felis' (sense 6 — it is categorised under that genus taxonomically).

Common Mistakes

They referred these animals as reptiles.
They referred to these animals as reptiles.
'To' is required before the object even in the active voice of this sense.
This bird is referred as a sparrow.
This bird is referred to as a sparrow.
The full pattern is 'be referred to as…' without dropping 'to'.
Phrasal verbs

refer to

phrasal verb

To mention or talk about someone or something.

In her speech, Maya referred to the new school policy.

Did the doctor refer to your test results during the visit?

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: verb/3

All four words describe bringing something into conversation or writing, but they differ in directness and completeness. 'Mention' is the most neutral and direct — you simply name or refer to something briefly without elaboration ('I mentioned the deadline'). 'Refer to' is similar but can feel slightly more formal or indirect, as if you are pointing the listener toward a topic. 'Allude to' is deliberately indirect: you hint at something without naming it explicitly, often because the subject is sensitive or you assume shared knowledge ('She alluded to the dispute without naming names'). 'Touch on' means you cover a topic only very briefly and incompletely ('The lecture touched on climate policy but focused on economics'). 'Cite' is the most precise and formal — you mention a specific source or authority to support an argument ('The report cited three earlier studies'). In academic writing, 'refer to' and 'cite' are both common, but 'cite' requires naming a specific source while 'refer to' can point to a general idea or situation.

mention ↗allude totouch on ↗cite ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • refer to as
  • refer to someone for
  • be referred to as
  • with reference to

Prepositions

Etymology

LatinFrenchEnglish

The word 'refer' comes from the Latin 'referre', which is formed from 're-' (back, again) and 'ferre' (to carry, bring). So the original meaning was 'to carry back'. This sense of carrying or sending something to another place or person is still visible in senses 1 (MEDICAL REFERRAL) and 2 (DIRECT TO SOURCE). Over time, the meaning expanded to include the metaphorical 'carrying back' of attention to a source (sense 5, CONSULT SOURCE) or to a topic (sense 3, MENTION OR ALLUDE). The notion of 'carrying back' to a category (sense 6, CLASSIFY AS) developed in more formal and scientific usage.