refer

/rɪˈfɜː(r)/ (bre, ipa) · /rɪˈfɜːr/ (ame, ipa) · /ri-ˈfər/ (ame, mw)

refer — 動詞

  • referpresent simple I / you / we / they
  • refershe / she / it
  • referredpast simple
  • referring-ing form

1. when a doctor or healthcare professional sends a patient to see a medical specia

1.動詞及物B1
釋義

轉診

醫生將病人轉給其他醫生或醫院

when a doctor or healthcare professional sends a patient to see a medical specialist or to go to a hospital for further examination or treatment

例句

The nurse practitioner referred Lan to a cardiologist after the ECG showed an irregular heartbeat.

心電圖顯示心律不整後，執業護理師將 Lan 轉診到心臟科。

active: refer + object + to + specialist

Patients with severe back pain are often referred to the orthopaedic clinic for an MRI scan.

嚴重背痛的病人通常會被轉診到骨科診所做核磁共振檢查。

passive: be referred to + clinic for + purpose

同義詞
  • send

    less formal and less specific; 'send' does not imply a professional recommendation

  • transfer

    suggests moving a patient's care to another facility, not just a consultation

文法句型

refer + object + to + specialist/institution

be referred to + person/hospital/clinic

用法筆記

Frequently used in the passive voice (be referred to). The subject of the active form is typically a doctor, nurse, or medical professional. This sense is distinct from sense 2 (DIRECT TO SOURCE), which applies to non-medical contexts like customer service or administrative matters.

常見錯誤

❌My doctor referred to a specialist.
✅My doctor referred me to a specialist.
💡In this medical sense, 'refer' is always followed by a direct object (the patient), then 'to' + the specialist.
❌I was referred the hospital.
✅I was referred to the hospital.
💡The preposition 'to' is required before the destination.

2. to tell someone to contact or go to a different person, department, organisation

2.動詞及物B1
釋義

轉介

將問題或案件交給適當的人或單位處理

to tell someone to contact or go to a different person, department, organisation, or place where they can get the help, information, or decision they need

例句

Aylin called the main office, but they referred her to the human resources department.

Aylin 打電話到總公司，但他們把她轉介給人力資源部門。

active: refer + object + to + department

The customer service team referred Christopher to the online refund portal to process his request.

客服團隊將 Christopher 轉介到線上退款入口網站處理他的申請。

refer + object + to + place + purpose clause

同義詞
  • direct

    more general; 'direct' can be a simple instruction without official handover

  • send

    less formal; 'send' does not imply a recommendation or escalation

文法句型

refer + object + to + person/organisation/place

be referred to + department/service

用法筆記

Like sense 1, this sense uses the pattern 'refer + object + to + destination'. The difference is context: sense 1 is medical; sense 2 is administrative, customer-service, or general. Common in professional emails and business communication. Often used in the passive to sound neutral and official.

常見錯誤

❌They referred me the IT department.
✅They referred me to the IT department.
💡'To' is essential before the destination. 'Refer' is not a ditransitive verb like 'give' or 'send'.

3. to mention or speak about someone or something, often briefly or in a general wa

3.動詞不及物B1
釋義

提及

在談話或文章中簡短地提到某人或某事

to mention or speak about someone or something, often briefly or in a general way, without giving full details

例句

During the meeting, Élise referred to the budget cuts three times without offering any solutions.

會議期間，Élise 三次提到了預算刪減，但沒有提出任何解決方案。

refer + to + noun phrase

The article referred to the protest as a peaceful demonstration, though local media called it a riot.

那篇文章將這場抗議稱為和平示威，但當地媒體稱之為暴動。

refer + to + noun phrase + as + noun phrase

同義詞
  • mention

    more direct and neutral; 'mention' does not imply indirectness

  • allude to

    more indirect or subtle; suggest without stating explicitly

  • touch on

    less formal; suggests a brief, incomplete treatment

文法句型

refer + to + noun phrase

refer + to + noun phrase + as + noun phrase

用法筆記

Unlike senses 1 and 2, this sense is intransitive — the verb takes no direct object. You must say 'refer to something' (not 'refer something'). Common in both speech and writing. The phrase 'refer to something/someone as…' adds a naming or describing function, overlapping with sense 6 (CLASSIFY AS) but with less formality.

常見錯誤

❌He referred the problem in his speech.
✅He referred to the problem in his speech.
💡The preposition 'to' is mandatory when the meaning is 'mention'.
❌She referred about the issue.
✅She referred to the issue.
💡Use 'to', not 'about'.

4. to be about or directly connected with a particular person, thing, situation, or

4.動詞不及物B2
釋義

涉及

與特定的人事物或情況有直接關聯

to be about or directly connected with a particular person, thing, situation, or topic

例句

This new regulation refers only to businesses with more than fifty employees.

這項新規定僅適用於員工人數超過五十人的企業。

refer only to + noun phrase (scope marker)

The judge explained that the defendant's previous conviction did not refer to the current case.

法官解釋說，被告的前科與目前這起案件無關。

同義詞
  • relate to

    slightly more formal; emphasises a logical connection

  • concern

    more direct; often used in official notices and titles

  • apply to

    suggests a rule or condition is relevant to someone

文法句型

refer + to + noun phrase

用法筆記

Not used in continuous (progressive) tenses — you cannot say 'is referring to' in this sense. Distinguish from sense 3 (MENTION OR ALLUDE): sense 3 describes the act of speaking about something; sense 4 describes an inherent connection or relevance. For example, 'He referred to the contract' (sense 3 — he mentioned it in conversation) vs 'This clause refers to the contract' (sense 4 — this clause is connected to the contract).

常見錯誤

❌This rule is referring to part-time workers.
✅This rule refers to part-time workers.
💡Do not use the progressive form for the 'relate to/concern' meaning.
❌The question refers about page 12.
✅The question refers to page 12.
💡Use 'to', not 'about'.

5. to look at a book, document, map, website, or other source in order to find info

5.動詞不及物B1
釋義

查閱

查看書籍文件或網站以獲取資訊

to look at a book, document, map, website, or other source in order to find information or check something

例句

Anong referred to the train timetable to check whether there was a later connection to Taipei.

Anong 查閱了火車時刻表，確認是否有更晚一班前往臺北的班次。

refer + to + source + for/to + purpose

If you are unsure about the spelling, please refer to the dictionary on the shelf near the window.

如果你不確定拼法，請查閱窗邊書架上的字典。

同義詞
  • consult

    more formal; can be transitive ('consult a doctor')

  • look up

    informal; specifically for searching in a reference work

  • check

    less specific; implies confirming, not necessarily finding new information

文法句型

refer + to + noun phrase (book/map/note/document)

refer + to + noun phrase + for + information

用法筆記

This sense is commonly used in academic and professional contexts. The source is typically a written reference (dictionary, manual, map, website, notes). Unlike 'consult', which can take a direct object ('consult the dictionary'), 'refer' always needs 'to'. 'Look up' is the informal equivalent.

常見錯誤

❌Please refer the notes on page 8.
✅Please refer to the notes on page 8.
💡The preposition 'to' is mandatory.

❌ 'Refer to page 12 for more details.' is correct. — Some learners overuse 'refer' where 'see' or 'check' would be more natural in informal speech.

6. to regard or describe someone or something as belonging to a particular type, gr

6.動詞及物C1
釋義

歸類

將人或事物劃分為某種類別或群體

to regard or describe someone or something as belonging to a particular type, group, or category, often based on a shared characteristic or scientific principle

例句

In biology class, both dolphins and whales are referred to as marine mammals, not fish.

在生物課上，海豚和鯨魚都被歸類為海洋哺乳類，而不是魚類。

passive: be referred to as + category

Linguists often refer to Taiwanese Hokkien and Cantonese as Chinese regional languages rather than dialects.

語言學家常將臺灣閩南語和粵語歸類為漢語區域語言，而非方言。

active: refer + to + noun + as + classification

同義詞

文法句型

be referred to + as + noun phrase

refer + to + noun phrase + as + noun phrase

用法筆記

Typically used in formal or academic writing. The passive construction 'be referred to as…' is far more common than the active form. Distinguish from sense 3 (MENTION OR ALLUDE): sense 3 is about mentioning something in passing, while sense 6 is about assigning a category or label. For instance, 'She referred to him as a friend' (sense 3 — she called him a friend in conversation) vs 'The species is referred to the genus Felis' (sense 6 — it is categorised under that genus taxonomically).

常見錯誤

❌They referred these animals as reptiles.
✅They referred to these animals as reptiles.
💡'To' is required before the object even in the active voice of this sense.
❌This bird is referred as a sparrow.
✅This bird is referred to as a sparrow.
💡The full pattern is 'be referred to as…' without dropping 'to'.