arbitre
/aʁ.bitʁ/masculine
The French word for referee is arbitre.
arbitre is a masculine noun used to refer to an umpire or the judge of a sporting game. If you wish to describe the action of acting as a judge of a game or contest, you can use the related verb arbitrer. In the context of football, an assistant referee is known as L'arbitre de touche or Le juge de touche.
Meaning: sport: umpire, judge of a game (noun)
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
To form the plural of the noun, add an s to get arbitres.
How do you pronounce it?
/aʁ.bitʁ/. It has 2 syllables.
Did you know?
- The verb arbitrer can be used metaphorically to describe the act of weighing two options to make a final decision, even if no dispute exists.
- Beyond the sports field, arbitre is a common term in French law and politics to describe a neutral mediator who resolves a conflict.
- In French, arbitre is used for both 'referee' and 'umpire', whereas English distinguishes between the two roles depending on the sport.
Examples in context
- L'arbitre a sifflé un penalty.The referee called a penalty.This sentence is useful for seeing how arbitre is used when a penalty is called.Tatoeba #10659984 by lbdx, translation #10650073 by AlanF_US
- L'arbitre a suspendu le match.The referee suspended the game.This sentence shows arbitre in the context of suspending a game.Tatoeba #12876234 by lbdx, translation #5535257 by zvzuibqx
- L'arbitre a sorti le carton rouge.The referee showed the red card.This sentence demonstrates the use of arbitre when a red card is shown.Tatoeba #10068604 by lbdx, translation #10068570 by sundown
- Le match de football était sous le contrôle de l'arbitre.The football match was under the control of the referee.
- 26 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Léa and Lucas are watching a soccer match at a stadium.
- LéaL'arbitre est très sévère aujourd'hui.The referee is very strict today.
- LucasOui, il a déjà donné trois cartons.Yes, he has already given three cards.
- LéaTu penses que l'arbitre a fait une erreur ?Do you think the referee made a mistake?
- LucasJe ne suis pas sûr de son jugement.I am not sure about his judgment.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “referee” translations and entries arbitre, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
