What does referrer mean?
A referrer is someone or something that points another person to a source of information, advice, or assistance. The word can also identify the website or page from which an online visit originated, as in web analytics or HTTP terminology. In ordinary use, it often suggests a helpful act of referral: a librarian, teacher, colleague, or directory that directs someone toward relevant information. In digital contexts, a referrer serves as a kind of online breadcrumb, allowing a destination site to learn about the source of its traffic. The word is especially useful when the source of a recommendation, citation, or visit needs to be made explicit. Although “referrer” normally refers to a person or source rather than the act of referring, modern technical usage has broadened its meaning to include the originating resource or address.
nounA person or thing that refers, cites, or directs someone to another source. In computing, a referrer is the page or site from which a visitor has arrived at another page.
- A person who refers someone to another person, source, or source of information.
- In computing, the resource or page from which a request or visit originated.
"The website records the referrer to help editors identify where its traffic originates."
"The librarian was a helpful referrer when she directed the student to the specialist catalogue."
"The analytics dashboard shows that most visitors arrived through a search engine referrer."
The standard plural is “referrers,” with the same double-r spelling as the singular.
"The report lists several external referrers that link to the article."
Every click carries a digital breadcrumb: the referrer tells a website where its visitor came from.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does referrer come from?
“Referrer” was formed in the 16th century by adding the agent suffix “-er” to “refer,” with the doubled consonant appearing in the standard modern spelling. “Refer” ultimately comes through Old French from Latin referre, meaning “to carry back” or “to bring back,” the same root found in related words such as “reference,” “referee,” and “referendum.”
How referrer is actually used
The term is formal in general reference contexts but standard in web analytics and HTTP-related usage. In computing, “referrer” may identify the originating page, site, or URL rather than a person.
Easily confused with referrer
“Referrer” is the usual English spelling for a person or thing that refers; “Referer” is the conventional one-r spelling used in the name of the HTTP request header.