demonstrator

American  

[dem-uhn-strey-ter] / ˈdɛm ənˌstreɪ tər /

noun

• demonstrators
  plural

1. a person or thing that demonstrates.

2. Also a person who takes part in a public demonstration, as by marching or picketing.

3. a person who explains orteaches by practical demonstrations.

4. a person who exhibits the use and application of (a product, service, etc.) to a prospective customer.

5. the product, device, machine, etc., actually used in demonstrations to purchasers or prospective customers.

   They sold the demonstrator at half price.

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demonstrator British  

/ ˈdɛmənˌstreɪtə /

noun

1. a person who demonstrates equipment, machines, products, etc

2. a person who takes part in a public demonstration

3. a piece of merchandise, such as a car that one test-drives, used to display merits or performance to prospective buyers

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• counterdemonstrator
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• demonstrators
  plural

Etymology

Origin of demonstrator

1605–15; < Latin dēmonstrātor, equivalent to dēmonstrā ( re ) ( see demonstrate) + -tor -tor

Explanation

If you participate in a political protest, you are a demonstrator. Demonstrate means to show, and by dint of your presence, you are showing that you agree with the protest message. Demonstrator can also mean someone who demonstrates how something works. Electrolux vacuums were sold by door-to-door salespeople who were also demonstrators––they put horrible messes down on the rug to demonstrate their vacuum's power.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

demonstrator demonstrators

Air Force to build its prototype, and is backed by Northrop Grumman and RTX, which is providing Pratt & Whitney engines for the first demonstrator.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 29, 2026

The results from the first demonstrator have already shaped the team's plans for the next version of PLATON.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 17, 2026

The jury was shown a video of a demonstrator blocking the minister's car with Wai sitting in the front passenger seat.

From BBC ● Mar. 23, 2026

A demonstrator opposed to Lang, teacher Mia Kurzer, 23, told AFP she "showed up because we have to show that hate has no place in our city."

From Barron's ● Mar. 8, 2026

“We considered taking a stand, being arrested and going to jail to be an event that instilled the utmost pride,” one student demonstrator explained.

From "Because They Marched" by Russell Freedman

The disqualification sparked protests in Moscow, leading to the arrest of some demonstrators and brief jail terms for four people.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 22, 2026

During the department’s presentation of the report, one police commissioner, Jeff Skobin, pointed out that demonstrators and journalists who spoke at the meeting felt as though their perspectives weren’t reflected in the report whatsoever.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 12, 2026

The protests exposed how authorities are using AI-powered camera technology to monitor and identify demonstrators.

From Barron's ● Aug. 8, 2026

Approximately 50 demonstrators gathered Saturday morning in Pasadena as part of a national action to honor lives lost during immigration enforcement operations and in detention centers during the Trump administration.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 25, 2026

Durham police arrest anti-segregation demonstrators at Howard Johnson’s, May 19, 1963.

From "The Best of Enemies" by Osha Gray Davidson

Related Words

• marcher
• radical
• rioter
• striker