English Dictionary |
OFFICIATE
Pronunciation (US): | ![]() | (GB): | ![]() |
IPA (US): | ![]() |
Dictionary entry overview: What does officiate mean?
• OFFICIATE (verb)
The verb OFFICIATE has 2 senses:
1. act in an official capacity in a ceremony or religious ritual, such as a wedding
2. perform duties attached to a particular office or place or function
Familiarity information: OFFICIATE used as a verb is rare.
Dictionary entry details
Conjugation: |




Past simple: officiated


Past participle: officiated


-ing form: officiating


Sense 1
Meaning:
Act in an official capacity in a ceremony or religious ritual, such as a wedding
Classified under:
Verbs of political and social activities and events
Context example:
Who officiated at your wedding?
Hypernyms (to "officiate" is one way to...):
perform (perform a function)
Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "officiate"):
marry; splice; tie; wed (perform a marriage ceremony)
Sentence frames:
Somebody ----s
Somebody ----s PP
Derivation:
office (the actions and activities assigned to or required or expected of a person or group)
office (a religious rite or service prescribed by ecclesiastical authorities)
officiant (a clergyman who officiates at a religious ceremony or service)
officiation (the performance of a religious or ceremonial or public duty)
Sense 2
Meaning:
Perform duties attached to a particular office or place or function
Classified under:
Verbs of fighting, athletic activities
Synonyms:
function; officiate
Context example:
His wife officiated as his private secretary
Hypernyms (to "officiate" is one way to...):
serve (do duty or hold offices; serve in a specific function)
Sentence frames:
Somebody ----s
Somebody ----s PP
Derivation:
office (a job in an organization)
office (the actions and activities assigned to or required or expected of a person or group)
office (a religious rite or service prescribed by ecclesiastical authorities)
office ((of a government or government official) holding an office means being in power)
officiating (the act of umpiring)
officiation (the performance of a religious or ceremonial or public duty)
officiation (the act of umpiring)
Context examples
“Is it possible that I had the honour, sir, of officiating when—?”
(David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens)
We had to walk two miles to Brocklebridge Church, where our patron officiated.
(Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Brontë)
Mr. Weston directed the whole, officiating safely between Hartfield and the Vicarage, and every body was in good time.
(Emma, by Jane Austen)
The principal gentleman who officiated behind the counter, took a good deal of notice of me; and often got me, I recollect, to decline a Latin noun or adjective, or to conjugate a Latin verb, in his ear, while he transacted my business.
(David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens)
Learn English with... Proverbs |
"What the people believe is true." (Native American proverb, Anishinabe)
"If you reach for the highest of ideals, you shouldn't settle for less than the stars" (Arabic proverb)
"He who kills with bullets will die by bullets." (Corsican proverb)