Definition of moderator in English:

noun

• 1An arbitrator or mediator.

  ‘Egypt managed to assert its role as a regional moderator’

  More example sentences

  • ‘We applaud the efforts of model developers to look at mediators and moderators of effectiveness, and believe that this will be an extremely productive avenue of research.’
  • ‘Potential mediators and moderators of the relation between childhood peer rejection and negative outcomes have not been thoroughly tested.’
  • ‘Thus, it appears that ethnic identity more likely operates as a moderator or as a mediator or as a co-factor in protection from drug abuse.’
  • ‘Few studies of maltreated children have sought to examine perceptions of control-related beliefs as mediators or moderators of internalizing and externalizing problems.’
  • ‘Using this single value as a dependent variable, one can then examine what other factors - potential mediators or moderators - affect the magnitude of the difference.’
  • ‘We examined family conflict and parental depression symptoms as mediators and moderators in the associations between parental problem drinking and children's adjustment.’
  • ‘The moderator for the negotiations jotted a few notes on the screen of her PDA with a stylus.’
  • ‘Future research should clarify its role as predictor, moderator, or mediator of predictor-leadership relations.’
  • ‘Gentlemen, I was in the middle of it as the moderator, but I need you all who were observers to tell me what it all meant.’
  • ‘It takes quite a few weeks for the moderator to cease looking on government members as friends and colleagues.’
  • ‘Repeatedly, the country was framed as a failure by the moderators.’
  • ‘‘Our instructors were trained by moderators from China and Malaysia,’ she says.’
  • ‘We have now established a large team of moderators.’
  • ‘But the moderators are amongst the most respected in the news industry.’
  • ‘But on the other hand, I have to give both moderators some credit for not being too much in the story.’

  Synonyms

  arbitrator, arbiter, negotiator, conciliator, go-between, middleman, intermediary, moderator, intervenor, interceder, intercessor, reconciler, broker, honest broker, liaison officer, peacemaker, umpire, referee, adjudicator, judge

  1. 1.1A presiding officer, especially a chairman of a debate.
     ‘the debates will each feature one moderator and a panel of three questioners’
     More example sentences

     • ‘Or had the retired general simply not considered the possibility that debate moderators would ask him questions?’
     • ‘Aggressive moderators don't get picked as debate moderators, Lou.’
     • ‘And my answer there is that my function as a debate moderator has always been to just to facilitate the exchange between the candidates, to get them to talk about it.’
     • ‘In the Republican debate, the moderator asked the candidates a viewer's question about which political philosopher or thinker the candidate identified with.’
     • ‘But for any decision to be taken, the government must stand up for what it is and not play the role of a moderator in college debate.’
     • ‘Average people asked better questions than the moderator of the first debate.’
     • ‘I thought that was strange since he was going to be the moderator of the debate.’
     • ‘He jumped from his stool, chopped at the air and interrupted the debate moderator.’
     • ‘In this debate, the moderator is going to be even more important than the past debates.’
     • ‘They insisted on a single moderator, a stiff debate format and live coverage only by two small stations.’
     • ‘It can be intimidating, but the moderator must keep the debate on track and fair.’
     • ‘Currently, he is scheduled to be a moderator at the third presidential debate in Arizona.’
     • ‘The traditional format of the two leaders plus a single moderator is gone, and a panel of five is instead in place to ask the questions.’
     • ‘If you agree to take part, the moderator for your panel will email you and the other participants to nail down the details of the panel.’
     • ‘The debate will finish with the moderator asking a general question to both Leaders in order to sum up.’
     • ‘And now let's talk to the moderator of this evening's recall debate.’
     • ‘The moderator of the English language debates got a lot of bad press for letting things get out of control.’
     • ‘Two disciplinary hearings, chaired by an outside moderator, were held yesterday and the others are due to be completed soon.’
     • ‘The principal moderator arranged the focus groups and led the discussion.’
     • ‘We held an April contest there, and since I'm a moderator I figured I best churn out a submission.’
     Synonyms

     chief, head, principal, boss
  2. 1.2A Presbyterian minister presiding over an ecclesiastical body.
     ‘the newly elected Moderator of the Dutch Reformed Church’
     More example sentences

     • ‘He has been the moderator of the Free Presbyterian Church since he founded it in 1951, a longer run in power than most popes.’
     • ‘Last month the former moderator of the Presbyterian Church, went so far as to call for an end to the withdrawal by Protestants from mixed towns and areas.’
     • ‘The organization constituted itself in January and elected as moderator the head of the Episcopal Diocese of New York.’
     • ‘The Church of Scotland would be prepared to appoint an openly gay minister, according to the church's new moderator.’
     • ‘He had more than one year long term as moderator of his Presbytery.’
     • ‘The moderator challenged the audience: ‘What are you - bishops, priests, laity - afraid of about dialogue?’’
     • ‘The first act of the Assembly was the appointment of a moderator.’
     • ‘The moderator has previously said he would not be opposed to openly gay ministers.’
     • ‘Harare's Presbyterian moderator last week called on the government to ‘stop abrogating its duty in regard to the anarchy and lawlessness which is destroying the country’.’
     • ‘A former Presbyterian moderator, he is noted for his hardline views and refuses to attend ecumenical services that include Catholic priests.’
     • ‘Rev Bwalya was the first moderator for the Copperbelt presbytery.’
     • ‘The moderator made a speech at first mild, recognising what Europeans had done in Africa.’
     • ‘A vocal critic of the government, he was a minister of the Dutch Reformed Church and moderator of its Transvaal senate when he was banned in 1977.’
     • ‘The former moderator of the Church of Scotland has now given up the parish he tended for 13 years to take on a new challenge.’
     • ‘A representative from each presbytery, along with the three most recent moderators and three elders appointed by the Assembly, each have a vote.’
     • ‘In recent years moderators have spent the rest of their year in office visiting missionaries and liaising with presbyteries.’

• 2British A person who reviews examination papers to ensure consistency, or otherwise oversees an examination.

  ‘after marking by the tutor, the papers are returned to a moderator’

  More example sentences

  • ‘Reducing external assessment could save the £60 million spent on moderators and examiners for GCSEs and GNVQ courses, he claims.’
  • ‘Testers were observed by moderators during the examination.’
  • ‘Data quality was ensured by having the moderator present his coding to a team including the principal investigator, a research assistant, and the principal investigator's graduate students.’
  • ‘In 1860-61 Cambridge appointed him moderator and examiner for the Mathematical Tripos.’
  • ‘The moderator, a famous senior scientist, was incredulous.’
  • ‘Children at the state and national level sometimes didn't know what the moderator was asking because the moderator was saying it correctly.’
  • ‘‘We ordered the paper in as it was too costly to hire an examiner and moderator for such a small exam,’ he said.’
  • ‘On top of this, contracted moderators check marked student work in every subject from every school, every year.’
  • ‘Their concurrence with conclusions drawn ensures the validity of the moderator's analysis.’
  • ‘The exam papers were marked by teachers and then sent to external moderators.’

  Synonyms

  adjudicator, arbiter, assessor, evaluator, appraiser, examiner, moderator

• 3A person who moderates an Internet forum or online discussion.

  More example sentences

  • ‘I'm not interested in reading only what your moderators approve.’
  • ‘The many list members cannot see which posts have not been approved by the few moderators.’
  • ‘We failed; the moderators filtered out our fake files.’
  • ‘The list manager, unlike a moderator, does not pre-approve each e-mail sent to the list.’
  • ‘Nevertheless, giving members this option has transformed the status of the moderators from being the exclusive decision makers to "trusted filters."’
  • ‘Controversial blogs are shut down, and chatroom moderators kick out participants who post comments likely to antagonise the Communist party.’
  • ‘This limits the impact of any individual moderator.’
  • ‘This fifth day we have a story from Val, who is a vivid RPG player and a moderator on our forum.’
  • ‘Maintaining health forums such as these is an often costly enterprise with professional moderators reading the posts and responding to inquiries.’
  • ‘Whilst I can see why forum/chat moderators prefer users to register, it is beyond me why you would hide the majority of a promotional site behind registration.’
  • ‘Moderators have very limited control over the system.’
  • ‘Case studies and observations indicate that although online communities will evolve according to the needs of members they also require a host, co-ordinator or moderator.’
  • ‘If the rule is violated and postings in Russian language are written using the Latin alphabet, the site moderator deletes the postings.’
  • ‘After seeing the first junk post, Tribe members quickly alerted moderators, who deleted the spammer's account in just half an hour.’
  • ‘Each comment can be assigned points by several different moderators, and the final grade is an average of all the moderators' judgments.’
  • ‘To lower the burden on the moderators, a user who frequently injects correct content is promoted to the rank of unmoderated submitter, and is allowed to directly add content.’
  • ‘Because this list is also archived on the Web, members can view for themselves the difference between what was sent to the list and what was approved by the moderators.’

• 4Physics
  A substance used in a nuclear reactor to retard neutrons.

  ‘in a fast reactor there is no moderator to slow the reaction down’

  More example sentences

  • ‘Heavy water is a suitable and convenient moderator of neutrons in nuclear reactors.’
  • ‘The moderator provides neutrons, which are captured by the uranium atoms.’
  • ‘The most common moderators are substances of low atomic weight such as heavy water (deuterium oxide) or graphite.’
  • ‘Light-water reactors use ordinary water for both coolant and for neutron moderator.’
  • ‘Ultimatum is used in nuclear reactors as a reflector or moderator for it has a low thermal neutron absorption cross section.’