commentator
Americannoun
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a person who discusses news, sports events, weather, or the like, as on television or radio.
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a person who makes commentaries.
noun
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a person who provides a spoken commentary for a broadcast, film, etc, esp of a sporting event
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a person who writes notes on a text, event, etc
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of commentator
1350–1400; Middle English < Late Latin commentātor interpreter, equivalent to commentā ( rī ) to interpret ( Latin: to think about, prepare, discuss, write, perhaps frequentative of comminīscī to devise; see comment) + Latin -tor -tor
Explanation
A person who analyzes and discusses topics in politics and sports is called a commentator. If you want to hear opinions on the news rather than the news itself, listen to commentators. A reporter delivers the news and a commentator analyzes it, sometimes within the same news program. If you're a top sports commentator, you may become an even bigger household name than the players you are discussing, and you may pull in just as much money too. Political commentators, who often offer more opinion rather than analysis, are also sometimes called pundits or talking heads.
Vocabulary lists containing commentator
myPerspectives 10.2
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The president’s son was accused by his own former business partner of asking a UFC commentator whether Sunday’s fights were rigged and whether he should place a bet on the opening bout.
From Salon • Jun. 15, 2026
For 26-year-old curator and art commentator James Marshall, it is important the history of Hockney's early work is not forgotten.
From BBC • Jun. 13, 2026
Both CNN and NBC News projected Hilton, a former British political strategist and Fox News commentator, had enough votes to maintain his lead from third-place candidate Tom Steyer, a billionaire hedge manager.
From Barron's • Jun. 10, 2026
Then a commentator mentioned how the U.S. team was, in fact, wearing faux stonewashed denim jerseys.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 5, 2026
But even when all these are added in, "two-thirds of the universe is still missing from the balance sheet," as one commentator has put it.
From "A Short History of Nearly Everything" by Bill Bryson
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
