chair
Americannoun
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a seat, especially for one person, usually having four legs for support and a rest for the back and often having rests for the arms.
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something that serves as a chair or supports like a chair.
The two men clasped hands to make a chair for their injured companion.
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a seat of office or authority.
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a position of authority, as of a judge, professor, etc.
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the person occupying a seat of office, especially the chairperson of a meeting.
The speaker addressed the chair.
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(in an orchestra) the position of a player, assigned by rank; desk.
first clarinet chair.
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Informal. the chair, electric chair.
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(in reinforced-concrete construction) a device for maintaining the position of reinforcing rods or strands during the pouring operation.
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a glassmaker's bench having extended arms on which a blowpipe is rolled in shaping glass.
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British Railroads. a metal block for supporting a rail and securing it to a crosstie or the like.
verb (used with object)
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to place or seat in a chair.
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to install in office.
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to preside over; act as chairperson of.
to chair a committee.
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British. to carry (a hero or victor) aloft in triumph.
verb (used without object)
idioms
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take the chair,
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to begin or open a meeting.
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to preside at a meeting; act as chairperson.
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get the chair, to be sentenced to die in the electric chair.
noun
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a seat with a back on which one person sits, typically having four legs and often having arms
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an official position of authority
a chair on the board of directors
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the person chairing a debate or meeting
the speaker addressed the chair
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a professorship
the chair of German
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railways an iron or steel cradle bolted to a sleeper in which the rail sits and is locked in position
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short for sedan chair
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chairing a debate or meeting
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to preside as chairman for a meeting, etc
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an informal name for electric chair
verb
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to preside over (a meeting)
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to carry aloft in a sitting position after a triumph or great achievement
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to provide with a chair of office
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to install in a chair
Gender
Is it chair, chairman, chairwoman, or chairperson? See chairperson.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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chairsimple
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chairssimple
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have chairedperfect
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has chairedperfect
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am chairingprogressive
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are chairingprogressive
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is chairingprogressive
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have been chairingperfect progressive
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has been chairingperfect progressive
Past
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chairedsimple
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had chairedperfect
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was chairingprogressive
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were chairingprogressive
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had been chairingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of chair
First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English chaiere, from Old French, from Latin cathedra; see cathedra
Explanation
A chair is a seat with four legs and a back to lean against. When you invite a large group for dinner, you have to make sure you find chairs for all of your guests. As opposed to a bench, couch, or sofa, a chair usually seats one single person. You might have wooden kitchen chairs and a comfortable, upholstered chair with arms for watching TV. Another kind of chair is the leader of an organization or group, and it's also a verb meaning to lead such a group: "I've been asked to chair the monthly meetings of the stamp collectors' club." The Old French root is chaiere, "seat or throne."
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Sally Wadsworth, chair of Benfield Wildlife and Conservation Group, says some areas of grass are kept longer so that the females can crawl up the stalks for mating.
From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026
French President Emmanuel Macron will chair a crisis cabinet meeting Monday morning to discuss the wildfires ravaging several areas of southwest France, his office said.
From Barron's ● Jul. 27, 2026
“There’s likely a nonzero chance that courts will decide Kalshi and Polymarket are betting platforms,” said Don Millis, the Republican chair of the Wisconsin Elections Commission.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 26, 2026
“These are all topics that the Fed chair should be addressing,” Daco said in an interview with Bloomberg.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 25, 2026
He picked up the chalk, pointed at the blackboard, and wrote a large, crooked A. Turning in her big chair, Little Britches gave him all her attention.
From "The Teacher’s Funeral" by Richard Peck
"I had trouble standing up from low chairs and deep couches without someone offering me an arm," she said.
From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026
In the dining room, vintage Doyle Lane ceramic beads dangle from a Mission-style wooden clock while designer handbags are draped over chairs and hat racks.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 27, 2026
They were formed with cones, shipping pallets, chairs, trash bins, or even neighbors inside a traffic circle.
From Slate ● Jul. 27, 2026
Under Warsh’s predecessor, Jerome Powell, the two vice chairs helped build support for a policy proposal they workshopped ahead of the meeting, giving markets a read on their thinking.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 23, 2026
We sat now, waiting for 9:30, tense and upright in the high-backed wooden chairs, avoiding as if by a kind of premonition the cushioned and comfortable seats.
From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom
Vélez and Vince will also join the foundation’s board, which is also chaired by Taylor.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 21, 2026
Eddie Comeaux, a UC Riverside professor who chaired the system’s admissions board in 2020 when it recommended keeping the tests, said a committee had “significant” divisions on testing even though it ultimately favored it.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 9, 2026
He chaired the party's Central Military Commission, which commands the armed forces, from 1981 to 1989.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 5, 2026
Anderson made his triumphant farewell chaired off by jubilant Bristol Rovers supporters.
From BBC ● Jun. 23, 2026
In the 1930s, she chaired a panel on the future of feminism.
From "The Woman All Spies Fear" by Amy Butler Greenfield
As host, Macron was officially chairing the summit but Trump left no doubt over who he believed was in charge.
From Barron's ● Jun. 17, 2026
And there was an incident this week while McConnell was chairing his defense appropriations subcommittee hearing.
From Slate ● May 16, 2026
He would rather spend his energy volunteering, making art, going to operas and chairing the Council on Aging in North Andover, Mass., where he lives.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 7, 2026
For his work chairing the board, Taylor received cash and stock compensation of more than $500,000.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 18, 2026
In the days leading up to the charrette, Durham’s two white newspapers also featured several in-depth stories about the event, many of them focusing on the odd couple chairing it.
From "The Best of Enemies" by Osha Gray Davidson
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
