ref•er•ence/ˈrɛfərəns, ˈrɛfrəns/USA pronunciationn., v.,-enced, -enc•ing. n.
[uncountable] an act or instance of referring, as for information.
a mention; allusion:[countable]In her complaint she made numerous references to him as a witness.
a direction of the attention, as in a book, to some other book, passage, etc.: [uncountable]You make reference to several authors in your paper.[countable]the use of references in a term paper.
[countable] the book, passage, etc., to which one is directed:You need at least five references in such a short term paper.
use for purposes of information:[uncountable]a library for public reference.
a book or other source of useful information:[countable]His book is an important medical reference.
a person who can provide a statement or a letter about, or answer questions about, another's character, abilities, etc.:May I list you as one of my references in case a job interview comes up?
a statement or letter regarding a person's character, abilities, etc.:She wrote him a glowing reference.
regard or connection; relation:[uncountable]I'm writing in reference to the job in the classified section.
v.[~ + object]
to mention in or as a reference:How many times has your work been referenced in other scholars' work?
adj.[before a noun]
of or for materials used for finding information:reference books; a library reference room.
something referred, esp proceedings submitted to a referee in law
a direction of the attention to a passage elsewhere or to another book, document, etc
a book or passage referred to
a mention or allusion: this book contains several references to the Civil War
the relation between a word, phrase, or symbol and the object or idea to which it refers
a source of information or facts
(as modifier): a reference book, a reference library
a written testimonial regarding one's character or capabilities
a person referred to for such a testimonial
(followed by to) relation or delimitation, esp to or by membership of a specific class or group; respect or regard: all people, without reference to sex or age
(as modifier): a reference group
terms of reference ⇒ the specific limits of responsibility that determine the activities of an investigating body, etc
vb (transitive)
to furnish or compile a list of references for (an academic thesis, publication, etc)
to make a reference to; refer to
prep
with reference to: reference your letter of the 9th instAbbreviation: re
referential/ˌrɛfəˈrɛnʃəl/adj
'with reference to' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):