emcee

1 of 2

noun

em·​cee ˌem-ˈsē How to pronounce emcee (audio)
plural emcees
1
: master of ceremonies
especially : a person who acts as host for a program of entertainment
The emcee primes the crowd and rock music pulses, bolstered by lasers and fireworks. Allison Glock
2
: a performer of rap music : rapper
… MC Lyte, the first female hip-hop emcee to release a solo album …Deena Zaru

emcee

2 of 2

verb

emceed; emceeing; emcees

transitive + intransitive

1
: to perform the role of a master of ceremonies : to act as emcee for
emceed an awards dinner
… he reports that one week after the surgery he was back emceeing at the Improv …Roger Friedman
2
: to perform rap music : rap
… [DMX's] love of hip-hop—from production to emceeing—built his name as an underground force in New York City.Kevin L. Clark
… [Lauryn] Hill was so wildly proficient at singing and emceeingClover Hope
The Hulu personality [Khloé Kardashian] followed up by emceeing her own verse, rapping, "Then my birthday is in June / And I'm gonna need you to help me make my cake, too."Kat Pettibone

Examples of emcee in a Sentence

Noun acted as emcee for the evening's entertainment at the political convention Verb She agreed to emcee at an awards dinner.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Noun
Someone else compared the emcee to Stack, Michael B. Jordan’s fictional character from Sinners. Mya Abraham, VIBE.com, 7 May 2025 Green Day got their star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on Thursday (May 1), with former MTV VJ Matt Pinfield serving as emcee for the ceremony in his first public appearance since suffering a massive stroke in January. Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 2 May 2025
Verb
The event will again be emceed by Zanni Kalaydjian and co-chaired by Kathy Kassardjian and Dr. Anna Khachatrian to support charities that fight human trafficking and support homeless, orphans and refugees, locally and around the world. News Release, San Diego Union-Tribune, 22 May 2025 Former Arizona Diamondbacks closer and popular local celebrity Archie Bradley is a huge Grass League fan, so much so that he was tapped to emcee the Draft, introduce the musical acts and provide live, on-course commentary during the final night of competition. Candace Oehler, Forbes.com, 17 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for emcee

Word History

Etymology

Noun

MC

First Known Use

Noun

1930, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1937, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of emcee was in 1930

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Cite this Entry

“Emcee.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/emcee. Accessed 1 Jun. 2025.

Kids Definition

emcee

1 of 2 noun
em·​cee ˈem-ˈsē How to pronounce emcee (audio)

emcee

2 of 2 verb
emceed; emceeing
: to act as master of ceremonies for something : host
emcee a television show
Etymology

Noun

an altered form of M.C., from master of ceremonies

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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