What does anchorwoman mean?
An anchorwoman is a woman who serves as the principal presenter of a television or radio news programme, guiding the broadcast, introducing reports, and often conducting interviews. The word pairs 'anchor' — the journalistic term for the central figure of a news desk, borrowed from nautical vocabulary — with '-woman' to mark its subject explicitly. It emerged as women entered broadcast journalism in force during the latter half of the twentieth century and became prominent figures at network desks alongside their male counterparts, known as anchormen. Today the term coexists with gender-neutral alternatives such as 'anchor' and 'news anchor', which many broadcasters and style guides prefer; nevertheless, 'anchorwoman' remains clearly understood and appears regularly in both media coverage and everyday conversation about prominent female journalists.
nounA woman who presents and coordinates a television or radio news programme, especially one serving as the lead presenter of a broadcast. The term is the feminine form of 'anchor'.
- A woman who anchors, or serves as the lead presenter of, a television or radio news programme.
"After two decades in local news, she finally landed her dream job as an anchorwoman for the national evening broadcast."
"The veteran anchorwoman signed off after thirty years on the evening news."
"As the station's youngest anchorwoman, she quickly became a household name across the region."
The plural follows the irregular feminine pattern of 'woman/women', changing only the final syllable's vowel sound.
"Several of the network's most respected anchorwomen began their careers in local radio."
"Anchorwoman" didn't exist until women broke into TV news — a word born from the battle to sit at the anchor desk.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of anchorwoman
The word 'anchorwoman' combines 'anchor' — itself adopted into broadcast journalism from nautical usage, where an anchor secures a ship — with the feminine suffix '-woman'. The compound arose in twentieth-century American English as women began taking leading roles in television and radio news presentation, parallel to the established masculine form 'anchorman'. It shares this root with related compounds such as 'spokeswoman' and 'chairwoman', which likewise pair a role noun with '-woman' to specify a female holder of that role.
Related word forms
How anchorwoman is actually used
The term is used almost exclusively for women in broadcasting, mirroring 'anchorman'; many broadcasters now prefer the neutral terms 'anchor' or 'news anchor', so 'anchorwoman' can sound slightly dated but remains widely understood and still in use.
Easily confused with anchorwoman
An anchorperson is a gender-neutral term for anyone presenting a news broadcast, while an anchorwoman specifically refers to a woman in that role.
An anchorman is the male counterpart — a man who presents and coordinates a news broadcast, whereas an anchorwoman is specifically a woman.