English Reference
noun

coordinator

n.
US /koʊˈɔɹdəˌneɪtɝ/ UK /kəʊˈɔːdɪnˌeɪtɐ/ co·or·di·na·tor UK spelling coordinator's, coordinator's

  1. 01 B2 Upper Intermediate

    a person who organizes a group of people or a project to make sure everything happens correctly.

    an individual tasked with the synchronization of various agents or components to achieve a specific goal.

    Simple

    The wedding coordinator made sure the flowers arrived before the guests did.

    In context

    As the regional logistics coordinator, she was responsible for ensuring that the supply chain remained uninterrupted during the peak holiday season.

    Usage

    Often used with a specific department name, such as 'project coordinator' or 'event coordinator'.

    Teacher's tip

    While 'manager' implies authority over people, 'coordinator' often implies authority over the process or the schedule.

  2. 02 C1 Advanced American English Sport

    a coach in American football who is in charge of one part of the team, like the defense.

    a specialized coach responsible for a specific phase of the game, typically reporting to the head coach.

    Simple

    The team hired a new defensive coordinator to help them stop losing games.

    In context

    The offensive coordinator spent the entire week analyzing film to identify weaknesses in the opponent's secondary coverage.

    Usage

    Usually appears as 'offensive coordinator' or 'defensive coordinator'.

    Teacher's tip

    This is a very specific technical role in American football; in other sports, the term 'assistant coach' is more common.

  3. 03 C2 Proficiency Technical Grammar

    a word like 'and' or 'but' that connects two equal parts of a sentence.

    a coordinating conjunction used to link syntactic elements of equal grammatical rank.

    Simple

    In the sentence 'I like tea and he likes coffee', the word 'and' is a coordinator.

    In context

    The professor explained how a coordinator can link two independent clauses to form a compound sentence.

    Usage

    Refers specifically to the seven coordinating conjunctions: for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so.

    Teacher's tip

    This is a formal linguistic term; students usually learn these simply as 'conjunctions' at lower levels.

    coordinating conjunction

In addition to the lifeguards themselves, there are coordinators, first aid kit managers, nurses and jet ski captains.

The Local· 19 Aug 2026

Trust can be promoted when at least one adult serves as a consistent coordinator and facilitator .

The Conversation· 23 Jul 2026

From coordinate + -or.

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

This entry
Level C1 · Advanced
Frequency Frequent
Updated