anchorman

IPA/ˈæŋkəmæn/
KK[ˈæŋkɚmˌæn]IPA/ˈæŋkərmæn/

anchorman — noun

  • anchormansingular
  • anchormenplural

1. a man whose job is to read the news on television or radio and to introduce repo

1.nounB2
Definition

a man whose job is to read the news on television or radio and to introduce reports by other journalists

Example

The anchorman calmly announced the election results as they came in.

Viewers sent letters to the anchorman praising his fair coverage of the local elections.

sent letters to the anchorman — audience feedback

Common collocations
  • evening news anchorman
  • news anchorman
  • anchorman for the network
  • retiring anchorman
Synonyms
  • newscaster

    more general term common in US English; can refer to any person who reads the news on air, not just the main presenter

  • newsreader

    British English term; focuses on reading the news rather than coordinating the whole programme

  • broadcaster

    wider sense; describes anyone who presents radio or television programmes of any kind

2. the male athlete who runs or swims the final leg of a relay race for their team

2.nounC1
Definition

the male athlete who runs or swims the final leg of a relay race for their team

Example

The relay team handed the baton to their anchorman with a slim lead.

hand the baton to the anchorman

As the team's anchorman, he swam the last fifty metres and touched the wall first.

touch the wall — swimming term for finishing a race

Common collocations
  • relay anchorman
  • anchorman for the team
  • team anchorman
  • running as anchorman
Synonyms
  • anchor

    gender-neutral; used for any runner in the final leg regardless of gender

  • closer

    informal term borrowed from team sports; not specific to relay races

Usage Note

In modern sports writing, 'anchor' is increasingly used as a gender-neutral alternative to 'anchorman'.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Anchorman, newscaster, newsreader, broadcaster, and reporter all work in news media, but their roles differ. An anchorman is the main male presenter in a studio who reads headlines and introduces reports — the person the audience trusts to hold the broadcast together. A newscaster is a broader term common in the US; it covers anyone who reads the news on air, whether they are the main anchor or a fill-in. Newsreader is the British equivalent, though it emphasises reading the news rather than coordinating the entire programme. A broadcaster is even wider — it includes anyone who hosts any kind of radio or television show, not just news. A reporter gathers information from the field and files reports but does not typically present the whole programme from the studio. For example, you might hear 'Our reporter at city hall sends this update,' but it is the anchorman in the studio who introduces that update.

newscaster ↗newsreader ↗broadcaster ↗reporter ↗

Common collocations

Prepositions

  • anchorman for + company/team
  • anchorman of + network/team

Etymology

GreekLatinEnglish

The word 'anchorman' is a compound formed from 'anchor' (from Old English 'ancor', via Latin 'ancora' from Greek 'ankyra', meaning a ship's hook that holds a vessel steady) + 'man'. The metaphorical use of 'anchor' to mean a reliable person who provides stability dates from the late 1800s. The broadcasting sense — a presenter who 'anchors' a news programme — first appeared in American English around the 1960s. The sports sense, referring to the final runner in a relay who holds the team's position, follows a similar logic: the 'anchor' leg is the stable, decisive final stage.