emcee
Americannoun
verb (used with object)
verb (used without object)
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
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emceesimple
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emceessimple
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have emceedperfect
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has emceedperfect
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am emceeingprogressive
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are emceeingprogressive
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is emceeingprogressive
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have been emceeingperfect progressive
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has been emceeingperfect progressive
Past
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emceedsimple
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had emceedperfect
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was emceeingprogressive
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were emceeingprogressive
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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:
Escorted by actor and perpetual emcee Bob Hope, Sam the Eagle descended the L.A.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 6, 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
Affairs Live along with The Times, while Nicole Blaine of the Crow, a comedy venue in Santa Monica, was the event’s emcee.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 9, 2026
He’s been little more than an emcee for negotiations, but wants us to think he invented armistice.
From Salon ● Feb. 13, 2026
For this segment of the competition, the emcee makes the contestants pick a number out of a bowl, and the corresponding judge asks the question.
From "Like Vanessa" by Tami Charles
Minutes into the climb, the plebes roll their T-shirts up and throw them, like emcees at a ball game, toward the base of the monument, where other midshipmen use them to wipe off the grease.
From Slate ● Jun. 24, 2026
But the organization chooses its emcees with intent.
From Salon ● Apr. 2, 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
The rising rap star is steadily breaching her way into the conversation of hip-hop’s top female emcees, but she knew it was only a matter of time.
From Seattle Times ● Mar. 28, 2024
Dance teams were stationed along each of the foul lines, led by emcees who were part in-game hosts, part cheerleaders and part Vegas street performers.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 19, 2024
The festival kicked off Friday evening with the 46th Los Angeles Times Book Prizes ceremony at Bovard Auditorium, emceed by Times columnist LZ Granderson, recognizing both emerging voices and established writers.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 18, 2026
The 83rd awards telecast, emceed by Nikki Glaser, averaged 8.66 million viewers across TV and streaming.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 15, 2026
Poehler has won a previous Golden Globes as a lead actress on “Parks and Recreation,” and emceed the show three times with her buddy Tina Fey.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 12, 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
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
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
The comedian received positive reviews for emceeing the just-wrapped 97th Academy Awards, which saw a slight boost in viewership.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 22, 2025
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.
