facilitator

American  

[fuh-sil-i-tey-ter] / fəˈsɪl ɪˌteɪ tər /

noun

1. a person or thing that facilitates.

2. a person responsible for leading or coordinating the work of a group, as one who leads a group discussion.

   Each committee will meet with its facilitator.

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Etymology

Origin of facilitator

First recorded in 1815–25; facilitate + -or ²

Explanation

If you're a facilitator, you're someone who helps other people get things done. I don't think we can finish this without a facilitator to guide us through the final phase. Many Romance languages have a word descended from the Latin facile, "easy." If you're familiar with any of those, then facilitator will be easy for you to remember. All sorts of people need someone to who makes a process easier. During a negotiation, for example, the parties may call in a facilitator to help iron out their differences. If you've got a friend who can't seem to get their physics homework done, you can be a facilitator just by holding their hand through the toughest problem sets.

Example Sentences

A "facilitator" who had allegedly been paid to help them illegally cross to Zimbabwe was also detained.

From BBC • Apr. 16, 2026

The team lost Julie Allemand to Toronto in expansion, creating room in the backcourt but a specific need for a facilitator.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 13, 2026

Pakistan has emerged as a key facilitator between Iran and the United States as their war drags on, relaying messages between the two sides.

From Barron's • Mar. 29, 2026

With so many collaborations in the works, Uber looks increasingly set to hit its goal of becoming the largest facilitator of AV trips by 2029, they say.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 24, 2026

The facilitator passed around a green race car that served as a “talking piece.”

From "The 57 Bus" by Dashka Slater

Related Words

• coordinator
• designer
• developer
• promoter