# coordinator

/koʊˈɔɹdəˌneɪtɝ/ (US) · /kəʊˈɔːdɪnˌeɪtɐ/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/coordinator
Updated: 2026-06-20

## Senses

### 1. organizer

noun · CEFR B2

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

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

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

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

### 2. sports coach

noun · CEFR C1 · American English

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

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

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

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

### 3. grammar

noun · CEFR C2 · Technical

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

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

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

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

## Examples

- The project coordinator manages the daily schedule.
- As the event coordinator, she ensures that the catering, security, and guest speakers are all in sync.
- Effective large-scale operations require a skilled coordinator to bridge the communication gap between technical departments and executive leadership.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.