emcee

emcee — noun

IPA/ˌemˈsiː/
KK[ˈɛmsˈi]IPA/ˌemˈsiː/
  • emceesingular
  • emceesplural

1. someone who speaks to the audience during a show or event, introduces each act o

1.nounC1
Definition

someone who speaks to the audience during a show or event, introduces each act or speaker, and keeps the program moving.

Example

Salma, tonight's emcee, welcomed the crowd before the school band played.

apposition pattern: tonight's emcee

The charity dinner's emcee introduced each speaker with a short joke.

collocation: dinner's emcee

Common collocations
  • wedding emcee
  • award-show emcee
  • the evening's emcee
Synonyms
  • host

    broader and more common; can also describe someone receiving guests at home

  • presenter

    often used for broadcast or formal presenting roles

  • master of ceremonies

    full formal term; more official and less casual than emcee

Grammar Patterns

an emcee

the evening's emcee

Usage Note

Usually refers to the person speaking between performances or speeches. For a home party or dinner, host is more common than emcee.

Common Mistakes

My aunt was the emcee because she planned the menu.
My aunt was the host, and the emcee introduced the singers.
an emcee speaks to the audience; planning the event alone does not make someone the emcee.

2. a rap performer who says rhyming lines in time with a beat.

2.nounC1
Definition

a rap performer who says rhyming lines in time with a beat.

Example

Quan became a respected emcee after years of late-night club battles.

career pattern: became an emcee

The young emcee traded sharp lines with another rapper between songs.

Common collocations
  • battle emcee
  • local emcee
  • respected emcee
Synonyms
  • rapper

    the most general modern term for a performer of rap music

  • MC

    common short form in hip-hop culture; often highlights stage presence and crowd work

  • lyricist

    focuses on writing lines; not every lyricist performs them onstage

Grammar Patterns

an emcee

local emcees

Usage Note

In hip-hop, emcee often overlaps with rapper and MC. It can stress live performance, crowd control, and verbal skill more than the broader noun rapper.

Common Mistakes

The emcee tuned the guitarist's strings backstage.
The emcee practised new verses backstage.
this sense means a rap performer, not any musician at the show.

emcee — verb

IPA/emˈsiː/
KK[ˈɛmsˈi]IPA/emˈsiː/

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

For noun sense 1, emcee usually suggests a lively person who speaks to the audience and keeps a show or ceremony moving. Host is broader and more common; it can describe a dinner host, a talk-show host, or someone running an event. Presenter often sounds more formal and is especially common in television, radio, or business settings where the job is mainly to present information. Master of ceremonies is the full traditional term and often feels more official or ceremonial than emcee. Compere is mainly British and is common in stage or club contexts. You might say, 'The presenter explained the awards rules, and the emcee kept the audience excited between performances.'

host ↗presentermaster of ceremonies ↗compere ↗

Etymology

English

Emcee began in American English as a spelling of the spoken initials M.C., short for master of ceremonies. It first named the person who introduces speakers or performers and guides an event. In hip-hop culture, MC later came to mean the performer on the microphone, so emcee also developed the sense of a rap artist and the related verb for rapping.