Synonyms/Hypernyms (Ordered by Estimated Frequency) of noun referral

3 senses of referral

Sense 1
referral -- (a person whose case has been referred to a specialist or professional group; "the patient is a referral from Dr. Bones")
       => case -- (a person requiring professional services; "a typical case was the suburban housewife described by a marriage counselor")

Sense 2
referral -- (a recommendation to consult the (professional) person or group to whom one has been referred; "the insurance company says that you need a written referral from your physician before seeing a specialist")
       => recommendation -- (something (as a course of action) that is recommended as advisable)

Sense 3
referral -- (the act of referring (as forwarding an applicant for employment or referring a matter to an appropriate agency))
       => forwarding -- (the act of sending on to another destination; "the forwarding of mail to a new address is done automatically"; "the forwarding of resumes to the personnel department")