moderator

noun

mod·​er·​a·​tor ˈmä-də-ˌrā-tər 

plural moderators

1

: someone who presides over an assembly, meeting, or discussion: such as

a

: the chairman of a discussion group

b

: a person who administers an online forum, chat room, or group

c

: the nonpartisan presiding officer of a town meeting

d

: the presiding officer of a Presbyterian governing body

2

: one who arbitrates : mediator

3

: a substance (such as graphite) used for slowing neutrons in a nuclear reactor

moderatorship

ˈmä-də-ˌrā-tər-ˌship 

noun

Synonyms

• chair
• chairman
• chairperson
• president
• presider
• prolocutor
• speaker

Examples of moderator in a Sentence

The moderator allowed audience members to ask the governor questions.

She acts as the moderator in our office meetings.

Recent Examples on the Web

What Zuckerberg didn’t say in his five-minute monologue was that Meta would use its own internal moderators to censor employee criticism of his plan. —Jonathan Vanian, CNBC, 14 Feb. 2025

However, with Joy Behar’s absence from the show this week in preparation of her Off Broadway play, Goldberg is stepping in as the show’s moderator. —Armando Tinoco, Deadline, 7 Feb. 2025

In 1996, Buchanan took a year’s leave of absence to become moderator for the General Assembly, which is the highest position in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). —Bob Goldsborough, Chicago Tribune, 7 Feb. 2025

The protests were against and his actions One of the moderators of the subreddit, u/honeydoulemon, told Snopes that the original idea came from another moderator, u/Evolved_Fungi. —Hannah Parry, Newsweek, 5 Feb. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1560, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Kids Definition

moderator

noun

mod·​er·​a·​tor ˈmäd-ə-ˌrāt-ər 

1

: one that moderates: as

a

: the leader of a Presbyterian governing body

b

: the chairperson of a town meeting

c

: the chairperson of a discussion group (as on television)

2

: a substance (as graphite) used for slowing down neutrons in a nuclear reactor

Medical Definition

moderator

noun

mod·​er·​a·​tor ˈmäd-ə-ˌrāt-ər 

: a substance (as graphite, deuterium in heavy water, or beryllium) used for slowing down neutrons in a nuclear reactor