Referee taking time to think (8)
I believe the answer is:
meditate
'think' is the definition.
(meditating is a kind of thinking)
'referee taking time' is the wordplay.
'referee' becomes 'mediate' (I've seen this before).
'taking' means one lot of letters goes inside another.
'time' becomes 't'.
'mediate' going around 't' is 'MEDITATE'.
'to' is the link.
(Other definitions for meditate that I've seen before include "Focus one's mind for a period for spirituality or relaxation" , "brood" , "Think intently and at length" , "Think contemplatively" , "Consider thoughtfully" .)