In some Protestant churches, a moderator is a senior member of the clergy who is in charge at large and important meetings.
...a former moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland. [+ of]
2. countable noun
In debates and negotiations, the moderator is the person who is in charge of the discussion and makes sure that it is conducted in a fair and organized way.
[formal]
moderator in British English
(ˈmɒdəˌreɪtə)
noun
1.
a person or thing that moderates
2. Presbyterian Church
a minister appointed to preside over a Church court, synod, or general assembly
3.
a presiding officer at a public or legislative assembly
4.
a material, such as heavy water or graphite, used for slowing down neutrons in the cores of nuclear reactors so that they have more chance of inducing nuclear fission
5.
an examiner at Oxford or Cambridge Universities in first public examinations
6.
(in Britain and New Zealand) one who is responsible for consistency of standards in the grading of some educational assessments
7.
a person who monitors the conversations in an on-line chatroom for bad language, inappropriate content, etc
Derived forms
moderatorship (ˈmodeˌratorship)
noun
moderator in American English
(ˈmɑdərˌeɪtər)
noun
a person or thing that moderates
; specif.,
a.
a person who presides at a town meeting, debate, assembly, etc.
b.
the presiding officer of a governing body, as of the Presbyterian Church
c.
a substance, as graphite or heavy water, used to slow down high-energy neutrons in a nuclear reactor
Word origin
ME moderatour < L moderator
Examples of 'moderator' in a sentence
moderator
Perhaps this particular encounter, with Craig as moderator, was ideal for remedying the situation.