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"referee" is also used as a crossword clue. If that's what you saw, the answer is often ump (3 letters).
Definitions
evaluate professionally a colleague's work
Word origin
From Middle English [Term?], from past participle of Old French referer (“to relate, to refer”), from Latin referre (“to carry back, to report, to notify”); as if refer + -ee, that is, the person to whom something is referred for consideration.
Used in a sentence
“The referee kicked Jim out of the game for fighting.”
“Your application, along with letters from three referees, should be received by January 31.”
“He has to referee three hockey games this weekend.”
Source: Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0
Used as a crossword answer3 curated clues
01“Rule enforcer”7 letters
02“Match official”7 letters
03“Game official”7 letters
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