announcer

announcer — noun

1. a person whose job is to introduce shows, read out the news, or describe a sport

1.nounB2
Definition

a person whose job is to introduce shows, read out the news, or describe a sports match for people watching television or listening to the radio.

Example

Amara works as a news announcer at the local radio station every weekday morning.

noun + as + announcer for job role

The football announcer shouted with excitement when Brazil scored the winning goal.

compound: [sport] + announcer

Common collocations
  • news announcer
  • radio announcer
  • television announcer
  • sports announcer
  • the announcer said
Synonyms
  • presenter

    British English; usually hosts a whole show rather than only reading news

  • newsreader

    British English; specifically someone who reads the news, not sports or general programmes

  • anchor

    American English; the lead journalist on a news programme, often more senior than a plain announcer

  • commentator

    describes live action, especially sports; explains what is happening rather than introducing

Grammar Patterns

a/the announcer + on the radio/television

Usage Note

Frequently appears in compounds that name the broadcast type or sport: news announcer, radio announcer, sports announcer, baseball announcer.

Common Mistakes

She is announcer at TV.
She is an announcer on TV.
countable noun needs an article; broadcasts use 'on', not 'at'.

2. a person at a place such as an airport, train station, or stadium whose job is t

2.nounB2
Definition

a person at a place such as an airport, train station, or stadium whose job is to give information to a crowd through loudspeakers.

Example

The airport announcer told passengers that the flight to Tokyo was delayed by two hours.

compound: airport announcer + reported speech

At the train station, an announcer warned travellers to stand back from the platform edge.

the announcer + warned + that-pattern

Common collocations
  • airport announcer
  • station announcer
  • stadium announcer
  • the announcer called out
Synonyms
  • presenter

    for live events such as award shows; less common for stations or airports

  • compere

    British English; hosts a stage event and introduces performers, not used for stations

Grammar Patterns

the announcer + at + [place]

Usage Note

Distinguish from sense 1: this announcer speaks to a crowd in a single physical place through loudspeakers, not to listeners or viewers through broadcast media.

Common Mistakes

The announcer in the radio said the score.
The announcer on the radio said the score.
broadcasts use 'on', and that example actually fits sense 1.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

All five words describe people who speak on television or radio, but they cover different jobs. An announcer is the broadest term: anyone who introduces shows, reads news, or describes a sports match. A presenter (British English) usually hosts a whole programme and may interview guests, so the role is wider than just reading lines. An anchor (American English) is the senior journalist who leads a news show and often reports on the biggest stories. A newsreader is more limited, only reading the news bulletin without doing interviews. A commentator focuses on live action, especially sport, explaining what is happening as it happens. Compare: 'The announcer introduced the band' (general intro), 'The commentator described every shot' (live play-by-play).

announcer ↗presenteranchor ↗newsreadercommentator ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • news announcer
  • radio announcer
  • television announcer
  • sports announcer
  • airport announcer
  • stadium announcer

Phrases

  • the announcer said
  • the announcer called out

Prepositions

  • announcer on (the radio/TV)
  • announcer at (the airport/stadium)

Etymology

LatinOld FrenchMiddle EnglishEnglish

Built in English from the verb 'announce' plus the agent suffix '-er', meaning 'one who announces'. The verb 'announce' came into English in the 15th century from Old French 'anoncier', which traced back to Latin 'annuntiare' ('to bring news to'), formed from 'ad-' ('to') and 'nuntiare' ('to report'). The modern broadcasting sense developed in the early 20th century with the rise of radio.