What does "refer to" mean in these sentence?
What does "refer to" mean in the following sentences?
"The victims were not referred to by name."
"You know who I'm referring to."

I'm always confused about how to use "refer to".
Is it a common phrase or a kind of formal expression?
Thank you.

Question

What does "refer to" mean in these sentence?
What does "refer to" mean in the following sentences?
"The victims were not referred to by name."
"You know who I'm referring to."

I'm always confused about how to use "refer to".
Is it a common phrase or a kind of formal expression?
Thank you.

Answer

"The victims were not referred to by name." = The victims names were not given.
"You know who I'm referring to."  = You know who I am talking about.

In this case "referring" to somebody means talking about them or having to do with them.

If you refer something to somebody, you give it to them to be dealt with.
"I am referring this complaint to you, because this is your responsibility."

Answer

Yes. His answer is helpful too :)

Answer

I never argue with fdmaxley. His answers are solid.