Dictionary.com

compère

or com·pere

[ kom-pair ]
/ ˈkɒm pɛər /
British
Save This Word!

noun
a host, master of ceremonies, or the like, especially of a stage revue or television program.
verb (used with object), com·pèred, com·pèr·ing.
to act as compère for: to compère the new game show.
QUIZ
CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?
There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?
Question 1 of 7
Which sentence is correct?

Origin of compère

1730–40; <French: literally, godfather; Old French <early Medieval Latin compater, equivalent to Latin com-com- + paterfather
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use compère in a sentence

  • Captain Abrane assured her he had a star, and Mr. Potts thought him a rush compere, an adept of those dreadful gambling tables.

  • This Cæsar Borgia was not a bad politician, it seems to me, compere.

    The Forty-Five Guardsmen|Alexandre Dumas

British Dictionary definitions for compère

compere
/ (ˈkɒmpɛə) British /

noun
a master of ceremonies who introduces cabaret, television acts, etc
verb
to act as a compere (for)

Word Origin for compere

C20: from French, literally: godfather; see compeer, compadre
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
FEEDBACK