emcee
Americannoun
verb (used with object)
-
emcees,
present (3rd person singular)
-
emceed,
past participle, past
-
emceeing
present participle
verb (used without object)
-
emcees,
present (3rd person singular)
-
emceed,
past participle, past
-
emceeing
present participle
noun
verb
Usage
What does emcee mean? An emcee is the person who serves as the host of an event by introducing performers, speakers, or other participants. It comes from the abbreviation MC, which stands for master of ceremonies. Emcee is a less formal way of saying master of ceremonies. Both terms are used in the context of events like weddings, banquets, and awards ceremonies, but, of the two, emcee is more commonly used in less formal situations. In hip-hop, emcee is often used as a synonym for rapper, especially one skilled at lyricism. Emcee can also be used as a verb meaning to act as an emcee. Example: The local radio DJ acted as the emcee and introduced the competitors of the breakdancing contest.
Other Word Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
emceesimple
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emceessimple
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have emceedperfect
-
has emceedperfect
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am emceeingprogressive
-
are emceeingprogressive
-
is emceeingprogressive
-
have been emceeingperfect progressive
-
has been emceeingperfect progressive
Past
-
emceedsimple
-
had emceedperfect
-
was emceeingprogressive
-
were emceeingprogressive
-
had been emceeingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of emcee
1935–35, spelling form of the abbreviation MC ( def. ) or M.C. ( def. )
Explanation
The host for a performance or event can be called an emcee. If you're chosen to be the emcee for the school talent show, you'll introduce each juggler, singer, or comedian before they come onstage. Emcee was coined in the 1930s from the pronunciation of M.C., which is short for master of ceremonies. The emcee plays an important role in many forms of entertainment, as well as business events and other gatherings. Emcees introduce speakers at conventions, tell jokes and announce winners at awards ceremonies, and get the crowd excited between acts at comedy shows. You can even think of a circus ringmaster as a particularly flashy emcee.
Vocabulary lists containing emcee
Determined to Stay
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The Queen Bees of Tybee County
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Moko Magic: Carnival Chaos
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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.
See Examples For:
The show even weathered a major uproar over the botched host transition that followed the death of beloved emcee Alex Trebek in 2020.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 30, 2026
At the opening event, the emcee announced that Sanders was in attendance and the audience rose to applaud.
From Salon ● May 27, 2026
Comedian Trevor Noah is slated to emcee, and singer Chappell Roan is expected to perform for deep-pocketed advertisers.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 12, 2026
This emcee figure, a Taper innovation, replaces the DJ role of previous productions and establishes the show’s metatheatrical frame.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 20, 2026
I let him take my hand and tug me to the dance floor, right up front, near the emcee.
From "Leah on the Offbeat" by Becky Albertalli
They are thanked, and thanked, and thanked, by the emcees and by many tributes on-screen, including multiple A.I. slop videos commemorating soldiers past and present.
From Slate ● Jun. 16, 2026
This year the White House Correspondents’ Dinner canceled a planned appearance by comedian Amber Ruffin, the latest in a series of kerfuffles over controversial emcees of that event.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 18, 2025
Dance workshops, DJs, graffiti, and emcees will take over various spaces and the main stage will feature some of the best dancers in the world.
From BBC ● May 3, 2024
“As a kid growing up in Texas, it seemed like there was nothing bigger than Willie Nelson,” said Owen Wilson, one of the evening’s emcees along with Helen Mirren, Ethan Hawke and Jennifer Garner.
From Seattle Times ● Apr. 30, 2023
How many tasteless Will Smith slap jokes will various emcees make throughout the night?
From Salon ● Mar. 11, 2023
County executive Aisha Braveboy hosted “listening sessions,” emceed by her deputy chief of staff, Devan Martin.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 1, 2026
Kimmel, who is among the top talk show personalities in the US, emceed the Oscars four times and has hosted Jimmy Kimmel Live! since 2003.
From BBC ● Sep. 22, 2025
The ceremony was emceed by Steve Nissen and attended by Gadot’s “Wonder Woman” director Patty Jenkins and “Fast and Furious” co-star Vin Diesel.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 18, 2025
Wearing a satin Blue Crew jacket, De León emceed the one-hour-plus program attended by hundreds of baseball fans.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 9, 2024
When McEntire takes the stage at the Ford Center at The Star in Frisco, Texas, just north of Dallas, it will be a record 17th time she’s emceed the show.
From Seattle Times ● May 15, 2024
His wide-ranging career also includes a role on the sitcom “Everybody Hates Chris,” a stint emceeing “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire” and turns in movies such as “Idiocracy” and “White Chicks.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 8, 2026
Even the snobbiest TV snoots can’t resist Alan Cumming as the playfully sadistic laird of Ardross Castle, emceeing what is essentially a closed circle murder mystery.
From Salon ● Jan. 15, 2026
Yanni Gourde, who played in Seattle’s 2-1 shootout loss to the Colorado Avalanche the night before, took on some emceeing duties.
From Seattle Times ● Jan. 22, 2023
Hot off the success of her first album, the 18-year-old told a newspaper that her emceeing career had a shelf life.
From Washington Post ● May 3, 2022
The kid who was emceeing the rally announced the next speaker, a girl named Ishani who had survived a rain bomb in India last year.
From "Two Degrees" by Alan Gratz
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.
