showman
/ˈʃəʊmən
/noun (plural showmen)
1A person who produces or presents shows as a profession, especially the proprietor, manager, or MC of a circus, fair, or other variety show: showmen inveigled the masses into circuses, fairgrounds, peep shows, theatres...
- Mr Birch's father was a showman travelling with fairs, while his mother joined the circus when she was 15.
- Yimou has the eye of a painter, the grace of a dancer and the flamboyance of a circus showman.
- The land is owned by Silcock's, a well-known family of showmen who put on fairs around the North-west.
Synonyms
impresario, stage manager, publicist;
ringmaster, host, compère, master of ceremonies, MC;
presenter, anchorman, anchorwoman, anchorperson
North American informal emcee
1.1A person skilled at entertaining, theatrical presentation or performance: he’s a great talker and showman but he lacks depth...
- All of which makes one wonder if Smuin isn't too competent for his own good at this point; he is a skilled showman, and audiences love him for it.
- We have only to see a skilled showman working his magic to realise how easy it is for the brain to be fooled into thinking the impossible while we are in full possession of our faculties.
- This is bare-bones, disintegrating-nitrate-to-VHS-to-DVD imaging that does a disservice to the legacy of one of entertainment's truly stellar showmen.
Synonyms
entertainer, performer, player, artist, artiste, trouper, star, virtuoso;
extrovert, self-publicist, show-off, attention-seeker
