commentate
Americanverb (used with object)
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commentates,
present (3rd person singular)
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commentated,
past participle, past
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commentating
present participle
-
to deliver a commentary on.
to commentate a fashion show.
-
to write a commentary on; annotate.
to commentate the Book of Job.
verb (used without object)
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commentates,
present (3rd person singular)
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commentated,
past participle, past
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commentating
present participle
-
to serve as a commentator.
The senior staff member will commentate, as usual.
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to make explanatory or critical comments, as upon a text.
the manuscript on which I am commentating.
verb
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(intr) to serve as a commentator
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(tr) to make a commentary on (a text, event, etc)
Usage
The verb commentate, derived from commentator, is sometimes used as a synonym for comment on or provide a commentary for. It is not yet fully accepted as standard, though widespread in sports reporting and journalism
Other Word Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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commentatesimple
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commentatessimple
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have commentatedperfect
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has commentatedperfect
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am commentatingprogressive
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are commentatingprogressive
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is commentatingprogressive
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have been commentatingperfect progressive
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has been commentatingperfect progressive
Past
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commentatedsimple
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had commentatedperfect
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was commentatingprogressive
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were commentatingprogressive
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had been commentatingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of commentate
First recorded in 1785–95; back formation from commentator
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.
See Examples For:
The Sydney Morning Herald columnist was staying at the Southern Sun hotel to commentate on a match between Australia and South Africa.
From BBC ● Feb. 10, 2024
But commentators gotta commentate, and the time off in the woods has not mellowed Carlson.
From New York Times ● Jun. 7, 2023
But two year later, he embraced that most modern of political tools and signed up to Twitter to commentate on the 2017 election.
From BBC ● Nov. 9, 2022
“There’s no one single solution to the problem,” said Swangard, the sports marketing expert who during the world championships will commentate for NBC Sports.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 18, 2022
Surely nobody in their right mind would have let Luna Lovegood commentate?
From "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" by J.K. Rowling
Journalist Lizzie Dearden, who commentates on home affairs issues and is an expert on the far-right in the UK, says Southport is not the first incident that has been used to fuel far-right agendas.
From BBC ● Aug. 10, 2024
She’s the “famed” announcer who commentates on the everyday life things.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 12, 2023
I’m a 26-year-old blind individual who color commentates baseball games,’ ” Iacovone said.
From Washington Post ● Sep. 26, 2019
Compiled by Unruly Media and tickled into shape by Emma 1 Alan Partridge commentates on Zlatan Ibrahimovic's goalazo against England 4-2 Norwich's finest on Malmö's finest.
From The Guardian ● Nov. 16, 2012
“I hope Luna always commentates from now on...Loser’s Lurgy...”
From "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" by J.K. Rowling
In that time I interviewed Steve Jobs twice, and a few years later questioned Mr Pichai's predecessor Larry Page, and commentated live on the collapse of WorldOfFruit.com.
From BBC ● Nov. 19, 2025
Conor McNamara: I commentated on Estevao's debut for Chelsea against Bayer Leverkusen last week and the kid is a star.
From BBC ● Aug. 13, 2025
Rugby league great Ray French, who commentated on the sport for the BBC over four decades, has died at the age of 85.
From BBC ● Jul. 26, 2025
He commentated on every Summer and Winter Olympic Games between 1992 and 2014.
From BBC ● Nov. 27, 2024
Such corrections could be most properly introduced in the notes of a fuller commentated edition: less so, it may seem, in an almost unannotated text.
From Henry Esmond; The English Humourists; The Four Georges by George Saintsbury
She had to undergo surgery after rupturing her Achilles tendon on her take-off leg and so, rather than competing in Paris ended up commentating for the BBC.
From BBC ● Aug. 1, 2026
Vaughan, who is in Australia commentating on the Ashes, was locked inside a restaurant "a few hundred yards from Bondi" for several hours alongside his wife, sister-in-law, two daughters, and a friend.
From BBC ● Dec. 15, 2025
Standing umpire Steve Bucknor called for TV umpire Steve Davis, all while former Australia captain Mark Taylor - commentating on television - became gradually more agitated.
From BBC ● Oct. 27, 2025
"It was the largest city in western Europe, with a population of over half a million, and it had an ebullient print media that was constantly commentating on the fashions and follies of the age."
From BBC ● Sep. 4, 2025
“He is really struggling here. We have never seen him choke this badly in all of our commentating from his head!”
From "Here to Stay" by Sara Farizan
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.
