Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • intransitive verb To serve as commentator.
  • intransitive verb To make a running commentary on.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • To make comments; write a commentary or annotations.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • verb rare To write comments or notes upon; to make comments.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • verb To provide a commentary; to maintain a stream of comments about some event.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • verb serve as a commentator, as in sportscasting
  • verb make a commentary on

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Back-formation from commentator.]

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Examples

  • A "tired and emotional" Lt Cdr Thomas Woodroffe reviewing the fleetRetired naval officer turned BBC presenter Lt Cdr Thomas Woodroffe had reportedly been royally entertained by his seafaring chums before taking to the microphone just before 11pm to commentate on a 1937 review of the fleet.

    Great TV gaffes 2011

  • The golden era of football presentation came in the mid-70s when Jimmy Hill, a man with just the right strain of informed and energetic egomania, would commentate on a game, commandeer a private plane back to west London on which his greying beard would be touched up with mascara and then passionately analyse the match you'd just seen him commentate on.

    Sky generation is beginning to miss Richard Keys and Andy Gray | Barney Ronay 2011

  • Hunt, meanwhile, will have his talents heard by a wider range of listeners having been called up by 5 Live to commentate on the equestrian events and the modern pentathlon at next year's Olympics.

    Tattenham Corner 2011

  • It is beyond me why Bill Bennett gets to sit and commentate on CNN shows with some brilliant legal minds, when he is clearly a judgemental bigot himself.

    Bennett: Sanford needs to stop 'embarrassing himself' 2009

  • On the baize, the balls roll on, but the former stars who now commentate cannot resist blathering about the Jester from Leicester or the Wizard of Wishaw.

    In praise of ... 'Whispering' Ted Lowe | Editorial 2011

  • If you are allowed another chance to commentate on PMQs (which must now be in doubt) I suggest you read what others have to say before touching your own keyboard.

    Tony Blair: The Next Labour Prime Minister? 2010

  • If they had to come to the Garrison every race day to commentate they would have to do a lot of homework so they were very encouraging of me.

    Workforce's Derby win was one of my sweetest, says Sir Michael Stoute 2010

  • In my school holidays I would go across to Trinidad and commentate for Radio Trinidad – with [the future ITN newsreader] Trevor McDonald.

    Workforce's Derby win was one of my sweetest, says Sir Michael Stoute 2010

  • He was a Borderer through and through and repeatedly declined BBC offers to move south to present and commentate on other sports.

    Giving evidence to the Chilcot inquiry, Tony Blair said: “I... 2010

  • He was a Borderer through and through and repeatedly declined BBC offers to move south to present and commentate on other sports.

    Bill McLaren 1923-2010 2010

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