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reference

/ˈɹɛf.(ə.)ɹəns/noun, verb3 syllables

Reference means: a short note recognizing a source of information or of a quoted passage.

Synonyms for reference19

noun, as in a short note recognizing a source of information or of a quoted passage

citation, cite, acknowledgment, credit, mention, quotation

noun, as in a book to which you can refer for authoritative facts

reference book, reference work, book of facts

noun, as in an indicator that orients you generally

reference point, point of reference

noun, as in a formal recommendation by a former employer to a potential future employer describing the person's qualifications and dependability

character, character reference

noun, as in the most direct or specific meaning of a word or expression; the class of objects that an expression refers to

denotation, extension

noun, as in (computer science) the code that identifies where a piece of information is stored

address, computer address

noun, as in a remark that calls attention to something or someone

mention

noun, as in the act of referring or consulting

consultation

noun, as in a publication (or a passage from a publication) that is referred to

source

verb, as in refer to

cite

What does reference mean?11

noun

1

a short note recognizing a source of information or of a quoted passage“the student's essay failed to list several important citations”

2

a book to which you can refer for authoritative facts“he contributed articles to the basic reference work on that topic”

3

an indicator that orients you generally“it is used as a reference for comparing the heating and the electrical energy involved”

4

a formal recommendation by a former employer to a potential future employer describing the person's qualifications and dependability“requests for character references are all too often answered evasively”

5

the most direct or specific meaning of a word or expression; the class of objects that an expression refers to“the extension of ‘satellite of Mars’ is the set containing only Demos and Phobos”

6

(computer science) the code that identifies where a piece of information is stored

7

a remark that calls attention to something or someone“she made frequent mention of her promotion”

8

the act of referring or consulting“reference to an encyclopedia produced the answer”

9

a publication (or a passage from a publication) that is referred to“he carried an armful of references back to his desk”

10

the relation between a word or phrase and the object or idea it refers to“he argued that reference is a consequence of conditioned reflexes”

verb

1

refer to“he referenced his colleagues' work”

Definitions from the Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

What rhymes with reference?2

three syllables

preferencedeference
Show 37 near rhymes
generalfederalveteransnetherlandsveterangenerousterroristselectoralmeasurementmeasurementsjeffersonarchitecturalendurancereverendemiratesgeneralsconfederatereferencedelectoratetemporaladventurouseverestdirectorategeneradegeneratetreacherousplethoratendernessreverencelettermanseverancechairpersontemperanceeffortlessbettermentephemeralconfederates

Reference in a sentence

  • For starters, you can collect all the reference works you can find.Tom9358
  • For starters, prepare all the reference books you can find.Winter
  • We understand our own movements extremely well, and we can use them for reference.marshmallowcat
  • Of all the options, why did this have to be the reference?tommo
  • This easter egg is a reference to one of the developer's previous games.sabretou
  • We can use the church as a point of reference.garynw
  • This reference book is of benefit to you all.Lumi_alt
  • This is a direct reference to his early works.AlanF_US

Sentences from Tatoeba, CC BY 2.0 FR, credited to their authors.

Forms of reference

as a noun

plural
references

as a verb

past tense
referenced
present participle
referencing
third-person singular
references
past participle
referenced