ˈɑːbɪtə(ɹ) ˌɹɛf.əˈɹiː ˌɹɛfəˈɹiː ʌmp ˈʌm.paɪ.ə(ɹ) ˈʌm.paɪ.ə(ɹ) be a referee or umpire in a sports competition someone chosen to judge and decide a disputed issue the critic was considered to be an arbiter of modern literature the arbitrator's authority derived from the consent of the disputants an umpire was appointed to settle the tax case an official at a baseball game