REFERENCE meaning: 1 : the act of mentioning something in speech or in writing the act of referring to something or someone; 2 : the act of looking at or in something for information
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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.
A reference is someone you can rely on to put in a good word for you when applying for a job. Or, a reference might be an outside source you use in a research paper.
Usage Note: Though originally a noun, reference is often used as a transitive verb meaning "to supply (a book, article, or other work) with references." People also use the verb to mean "To cite as a reference" or simply "To mention or allude to."
There are 16 meanings listed in OED's entry for the noun reference, two of which are labelled obsolete. See ‘Meaning & use’ for definitions, usage, and quotation evidence.
Reference (noun): A standard for comparison or evaluation. The word "reference" primarily refers to mentioning or citing a source or information used for clarification or proof.
