moderator

[mod-uh-rey-ter]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR moderator ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a person or thing that moderates.

a person who presides over a panel discussion on radio or television.

a member of an online message board or electronic mailing list with privileges and responsibilities to approve or reject messages and uphold the terms of service.

a presiding officer, as at a public forum, a legislative body, or an ecclesiastical body in the Presbyterian Church.

Physics. a substance, as graphite or heavy water, used to slow neutrons to speeds at which they are more efficient in causing fission.

Nearby words

Origin of moderator

1350–1400; Middle English < Latin moderātor, equivalent to moderā(rī) to control (see moderate) + -tor -tor

Related formsmod·er·a·to·ri·al

[mod-er-uh-tawr-ee-uh l, -tohr-] /ˌmɒd ər əˈtɔr i əl, -ˈtoʊr-/, adjectivemod·er·a·tor·ship, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for moderator

Moderator Jan Jarboe Russell, an author and writer for Texas Monthly, asked Rep. Castro whether politics was in his blood.
Live from San Antonio: Women in the World Texas!|Women in the World|October 23, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Moderator Alicia Menendez, an anchor on the Fusion network, asked about the influence of her children.
Live from San Antonio: Women in the World Texas!|Women in the World|October 23, 2014|DAILY BEAST
As a moderator was keen to point out, his name remains on the bill as a sponsor.
Watch a Republican Try to Duck the Abortion Ban He Cosponsored|Jack Holmes|October 16, 2014|DAILY BEAST
After the laughter subsided, the moderator pressed, “What else do you know about her, any impressions of her?”
Voters Don't Care About DC's Obsessions|Eleanor Clift|September 11, 2014|DAILY BEAST

“This is the biggest day in the history of The View,” current moderator Whoopi Goldberg announced at the top of the hour.
Barbara Walters’s Final ‘The View’: A Tearful Farewell Befitting an Icon|Kevin Fallon|May 16, 2014|DAILY BEAST
But we shall need some moderator in those affairs when we come to treat of them in council.
Quentin Durward|Sir Walter Scott
From Mr. Samuel Price, whom they have spoken of for Moderator.
Coniston, Complete|Winston Churchill
The moderator and scribe of the association, seated side by side through the meetings, presented a striking contrast.
The American Missionary--Volume 39, No. 07, July, 1885|Various
After the laughter had subsided, the moderator demanded that the candidate answer the question.
Captain Pott's Minister|Francis L. Cooper
Meeting convened according to adjournment, a hymn was sung and prayer offered by the moderator.
History of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Volume 2|Joseph Smith

British Dictionary definitions for moderator

moderator

noun

a person or thing that moderates

Presbyterian Church a minister appointed to preside over a Church court, synod, or general assembly

a presiding officer at a public or legislative assembly

a material, such as heavy water or graphite, used for slowing down neutrons in the cores of nuclear reactors so that they have more chance of inducing nuclear fission

an examiner at Oxford or Cambridge Universities in first public examinations

(in Britain and New Zealand) one who is responsible for consistency of standards in the grading of some educational assessments

a person who monitors the conversations in an on-line chatroom for bad language, inappropriate content, etc

Derived Formsmoderatorship, noun

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

Word Origin and History for moderator

moderator

late 14c., "ruler, governor," from Latin moderator "manager, ruler, director," literally "he who moderates," from moderatus (see moderate (adj.)). Meaning "one who acts as an umpire" is from 1560s. Fem. form moderatrix attested from 1530s.

Science definitions for moderator

moderator

[mŏd′ə-rā′tər]

A substance, such as graphite, water, or heavy water, placed in a nuclear reactor to slow neutrons down to speeds at which they are more likely to be captured by fissionable components of a fuel (such as uranium-235) and less likely to be absorbed by nonfissionable components of a fuel (such as uranium-238). Also called neutron moderator See also slow neutron.