Meaning & use
referring to
Last updated
“referring to” is a form of “refer to”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.
Meanings
phrasephrasal verb
Speaking about or mentioning a particular person, thing or event, often to make clear who or what you mean.
Grammar: Always followed by an object: she was referring to the new rules.
Patterns
- referring to someone
- referring to something
- be referring to something
Which book are you referring to?
I was referring to last week's meeting, not today's.
The speaker kept referring to a famous experiment.
phrasephrasal verb
Looking at a source such as a map, notes or a dictionary to find information.
Grammar: Often with a document as the object: referring to the manual.
Patterns
- referring to notes
- referring to a map
She kept referring to her notes during the talk.
He solved the problem by referring to the manual.
The chef was referring to an old recipe book.
phrasephrasal verbformal
Being about or applying to something, as a word, sign or statement.
Grammar: The subject is a word or statement: the sign is referring to the parking lot.
Patterns
- a word referring to something
The pronoun is referring to the last noun in the sentence.
The warning refers to the wet floor, not the stairs.
Word forms
| base form | refer to |
|---|---|
| third person singular | refers to |
| past tense | referred to |
| -ing form | referring to |
Common combinations
- referring to the fact that
- She was referring to the fact that prices had risen.
- referring to notes
- He kept referring to notes during the speech.
- referring to a previous email
- I am referring to a previous email from March.
- referring to a person
- Who are you referring to?
- just referring to
- I was just referring to the weather.
Synonyms and how they differ
- mentioning
- Mentioning means saying something briefly, whereas referring to may point to a specific thing already known.
- alluding to
- Alluding to suggests an indirect hint, but referring to is more direct.
- consulting
- Consulting means looking at a source for advice and is narrower than referring to.
- talking about
- Talking about is the everyday and wider phrase.
Word family
Commonly confused: referring to or deferring to?
referring to vs deferring to
Deferring to means yielding to someone's opinion, not mentioning them.
Practice
Choose the correct preposition: Which report are you referring ____?
Choose one answer.
Refer is followed by to when you mention or point to something. At, for and in are not used.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “referring to”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.