chamber

American  

[cheym-ber] / ˈtʃeɪm bər /

noun

chambers plural

1. a room, usually private, in a house or apartment, especially a bedroom.

   She retired to her chamber.

2. a room in a palace or official residence.

3. the meeting hall of a legislative or other assembly.

4. Law. chambers,

   1. a place where a judge hears matters not requiring action in open court.

   2. the private office of a judge.

   3. (in England) the quarters or rooms that lawyers use to consult with their clients, especially in the Inns of Court.

5. a legislative, judicial, or other like body.

   the upper or the lower chamber of a legislature.

6. an organization of individuals or companies for a specified purpose.

7. the place where the moneys due a government are received and kept; a treasury or chamberlain's office.

8. (in early New England) any bedroom above the ground floor, generally named for the ground-floor room beneath it.

9. a compartment or enclosed space; cavity.

   a chamber of the heart.

10. (in a canal or the like) the space between any two gates of a lock.

11. a receptacle for one or more cartridges in a firearm, or for a shell in a gun or other cannon.

12. (in a gun) the part of the barrel that receives the charge.

13. chamber pot.

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adjective

1. of, relating to, or performing chamber music.

   chamber players.

verb (used with object)

chambers, present (3rd person singular) chambered, past participle, past chambering present participle

1. to put or enclose in, or as in, a chamber.

2. to provide with a chamber.

chamber British  

/ ˈtʃeɪmbə /

noun

1. a meeting hall, esp one used for a legislative or judicial assembly

2. a reception room or audience room in an official residence, palace, etc

3. archaic a room in a private house, esp a bedroom

4. 1. a legislative, deliberative, judicial, or administrative assembly

   2. any of the houses of a legislature

5. an enclosed space; compartment; cavity

   the smallest chamber in the caves

6. the space between two gates of the locks of a canal, dry dock, etc

7. an enclosure for a cartridge in the cylinder of a revolver or for a shell in the breech of a cannon

8. obsolete a place where the money of a government, corporation, etc, was stored; treasury

9. short for chamber pot

10. the freezing room in an abattoir

11. (modifier) of, relating to, or suitable for chamber music

    a chamber concert

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verb

1. (tr) to put in or provide with a chamber

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• underchamber
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• chambers
  plural

Participles

• chambering
  present
• chambered
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• chamber
  simple
• chambers
  simple
• have chambered
  perfect
• has chambered
  perfect
• am chambering
  progressive
• are chambering
  progressive
• is chambering
  progressive
• have been chambering
  perfect progressive
• has been chambering
  perfect progressive

Past

• chambered
  simple
• had chambered
  perfect
• was chambering
  progressive
• were chambering
  progressive
• had been chambering
  perfect progressive

Future

• will chamber
  simple
• will have chambered
  perfect
• will be chambering
  progressive
• will have been chambering
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of chamber

1175–1225; Middle English chambre < Old French < Latin camera, variant of camara vaulted room, vault < Greek kamára

Explanation

A chamber is an enclosed space, often where a specific event usually takes place — such as a sleeping chamber or a torture chamber. The history of the word chamber is an interesting one. The Latin word for room was camera. The original word for camera was camera obscura, or "dark chamber," since it was a big black box. Now, the word chamber can refer to any enclosed space — such as the chamber of a gun or the four chambers of your heart.

Example Sentences

Several groups opposed adoption of the updated regulation, including the California Chamber of Commerce, saying the language was too broad.

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 1, 2026

But Fida Hussain Dashti, former president of the Quetta Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Balochistan, argues that it is vital for the region's economy because there are so few opportunities for work.

From BBC • Jun. 16, 2026

"We were hearing more and more from our subscribers at the Philharmonic and the Chamber Music Society that they weren't renewing their subscriptions because of dementia, as their family members were impacted," she told AFP.

From Barron's • Jun. 15, 2026

Many Eurenco employees come from out of town, said Christophe Fauvel, president of the Dordogne Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 14, 2026

“Weren’t you saying just last night that you’ve known all along where the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets is?”

From "Harry Potter And The Chamber Of Secrets" by J. K. Rowling

Related Words

• apartment
• bedroom
• box
• cell
• cubicle
• hall
• room