mistress of ceremonies

noun

1. a woman who directs the entertainment at a party, dinner, or the like.

Word History and Origins

Origin of mistress of ceremonies¹

First recorded in 1950–55

Example Sentences

A daughter serves as mistress of ceremonies in the dining room, and his wife lavishes attention on the salads and sweets, including a divine cheesecake whose crust fuses dates and ground pistachios.

From Washington Post

Noha watches over the dining room as mistress of ceremonies while the chef’s wife, Ragheda, assists with salads and sweets.

From Washington Post

“Empire’s” Taraji P. Henson is mistress of ceremonies for the “2021 BET Awards.”

From Los Angeles Times

“SNL’s” Melissa Villaseñor is mistress of ceremonies for the “2021 Film Independent Spirit Awards,” which will now be handing out the hardware to TV shows as well as movies.

From Los Angeles Times

After my father passed, five years ago at 95, I hosted the Seders in my apartment ready to take on the role of Mistress of Ceremonies and infuse the holiday with some of the old joy it used to have retaining good memories of my late family.

From Salon

Related Words

• emcee
• moderator
• ringmaster