impresario
Americannoun
-
a person who organizes or manages public entertainments, especially operas, ballets, or concerts.
-
any manager, director, or the like.
noun
-
a producer or sponsor of public entertainments, esp musical or theatrical ones
-
the director or manager of an opera, ballet, or other performing company
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of impresario
1740–50; < Italian, equivalent to impres ( a ) impresa + -ario -ary
Explanation
An impresario is a promoter: someone who books, promotes, and organizes shows such as concerts. Impresario comes from an Italian word for a businessperson, and in English it especially refers to someone in the promotion business. In the music business, Bill Graham was a famous impresario who arranged concerts for huge bands such as The Rolling Stones and Pink Floyd. An impresario signs a band — or other entertainment — and makes a deal with the venue. Impresarios then arrange advertising and promotion to alert fans and arrange for tickets to be sold. Impresarios make shows happen.
Vocabulary lists containing impresario
2015 Spelling Bee - Words from Round 3
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
The Canterville Ghost
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Fast Food Nation
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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.
A jury found Ye, the controversial music impresario formerly known as Kanye West, liable in the legal dispute brought by his former contractor and ordered him to pay $140,000.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 11, 2026
Music impresario Irving Azoff, who booked acts like the Eagles into the Forum, called her “the pioneer of the arena music show,” whose respect for music in buildings built for sports rippled across the industry.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 1, 2026
In real life he’s an Australian impresario who, surprise, plays the trumpet.
From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 14, 2025
For 10 long, intimidating seconds, the pair played piano and sang for the impresario.
From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 14, 2025
“I have taken the liberty of informing the impresario that you acquired your astounding musical facility in one night through conversation with the Devil at a crossroads.”
From "The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume I: The Pox Party" by M.T. Anderson
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.
