noun
moderator
MO-duh-ray-tuh
noun
1
A person who oversees a debate, meeting, or discussion to keep it fair and orderly.
"The moderator cut off the candidate when he went over time."
2
A person who enforces the rules of an online forum or community, such as by deleting posts or banning users.
"A moderator removed the offensive comment within minutes."
How to Use Moderator
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishSomeone who keeps a discussion, debate, or online community fair and under control.
Common pairings
debate moderator
forum moderator
panel moderator
Word Forms
moderators plural
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The _____ cut off the candidate when he went over time.
Etymology
A learned borrowing from Latin moderator, first recorded in Middle English as moderatour, built from "moderate" plus the agent suffix "-or."