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Synonyms

master of ceremonies

American  

noun

  1. a person who directs the entertainment at a party, dinner, nightclub, radio or television broadcast, or the like, acting as host and introducing the speakers or performers. M.C., MC


master of ceremonies British  

noun

  1.  MC.  a person who presides over a public ceremony, formal dinner, or entertainment, introducing the events, performers, etc

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of master of ceremonies

First recorded in 1655–65

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.

Mr. Stace is a novelist, a singer-songwriter and the master of ceremonies of Wesley Stace’s Cabinet of Wonders.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 6, 2026

Pap, as he liked to be called, presided as master of ceremonies.

From Slate • Jan. 13, 2026

For the uninitiated, “Cabaret” begins with a marionette-like male character named the Emcee, the omnipresent master of ceremonies of an underground Kit Kat Club in 1931 Berlin, smiling into a warped mirror.

From Salon • Oct. 4, 2025

Founder and executive producer Andrés Rigal, part master of ceremonies and part fairy godmother, prowls the line, handpicking the most striking attendees and sending them past the bouncer with a nod and a smile.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 28, 2025

As the dedication ceremony continued at the Apollo, the master of ceremonies, activist-entertainer Harry Belafonte—yet another childhood “uncle”—framed the importance of this historic moment for the audience assembled.

From "The Autobiography of Malcolm X" by Alex Malcolm X;Hailey

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