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ringmaster

American  
[ring-mas-ter, -mah-ster] / ˈrɪŋˌmæs tər, -ˌmɑ stər /

noun

  1. a person in charge of the performances in a circus ring.

ringmaster British  
/ ˈrɪŋˌmɑːstə /

noun

  1. the master of ceremonies in a circus

"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 ringmaster

First recorded in 1870–75; ring 1 + master

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.

Behind the seeming anarchy of Monty Python, Terry Jones played the part of ingenious ringmaster.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 13, 2026

But Johnson is nothing if not a punchy ringmaster of deadpan humor and his grab-bag mindset generates enough goodwill to appreciate the DIY brashness of it all.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 13, 2026

She’s a seasoned TV host, having helmed “Not Safe with Nikki Glaser” on Comedy Central and playing the ringmaster on “FBoy Island.”

From Salon • Jan. 6, 2025

Staging matches at the Stade de France, and attracting near 80,000 crowds in the process, was another of his ringmaster tricks.

From BBC • Dec. 27, 2024

After she cleared from the arena, the ringmaster stepped forward and lifted his hands, quelling the audience’s deafening applause.

From "The City Beautiful" by Aden Polydoros

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.