chorus

American  

[kawr-uhs, kohr-] / ˈkɔr əs, ˈkoʊr- /

noun

• choruses
  plural

1. Music.

   1. a group of persons singing in unison.

   2. (in an opera, oratorio, etc.) such a group singing choral parts in connection with soloists or individual singers.

   3. a piece of music for singing in unison.

   4. a part of a song that recurs at intervals, usually following each verse; refrain.

2. simultaneous utterance in singing, speaking, shouting, etc.

3. the sounds so uttered.

   a chorus of jeers.

4. (in a musical show)

   1. a company of dancers and singers.

   2. the singing, dancing, or songs performed by such a company.

5. (in ancient Greece)

   1. a lyric poem, believed to have been in dithyrambic form, that was sung and danced to, originally as a religious rite, by a company of persons.

   2. an ode or series of odes sung by a group of actors in ancient Greek drama.

   3. the group of actors that performed the chorus and served as major participants in, commentators on, or as a supplement to the main action of the drama.

6. Theater.

   1. a group of actors or a single actor having a function similar to that of the Greek chorus, as in Elizabethan drama.

   2. the part of a play performed by such a group or individual.

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verb (used with or without object)

• choruses,
  present (3rd person singular)
• chorused,
  past participle,  past
• chorusing
  present participle

1. to sing or speak in chorus.

idioms

1. in chorus, in unison; with all speaking or singing simultaneously.

   They responded in chorus to the minister's questions.

chorus British  

/ ˈkɔːrəs /

noun

1. a large choir of singers or a piece of music composed for such a choir

2. a body of singers or dancers who perform together, in contrast to principals or soloists

3. a section of a song in which a soloist is joined by a group of singers, esp in a recurring refrain

4. an intermediate section of a pop song, blues, etc, as distinct from the verse

5. jazz any of a series of variations on a theme

6. 1. a lyric poem sung by a group of dancers, originally as a religious rite

   2. an ode or series of odes sung by a group of actors

7. 1. (in classical Greek drama) the actors who sang the chorus and commented on the action of the play

   2. actors playing a similar role in any drama

8. 1. (esp in Elizabethan drama) the actor who spoke the prologue, etc

   2. the part of the play spoken by this actor

9. a group of people or animals producing words or sounds simultaneously

10. any speech, song, or other utterance produced by a group of people or animals simultaneously

    a chorus of sighs

    the dawn chorus

11. in unison

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verb

1. to speak, sing, or utter (words, etc) in unison

chorus More Idioms  

1. see in chorus.

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Other Word Forms

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• choruses
  plural

Participles

• chorusing
  present
• chorused
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• chorus
  simple
• choruses
  simple
• have chorused
  perfect
• has chorused
  perfect
• am chorusing
  progressive
• are chorusing
  progressive
• is chorusing
  progressive
• have been chorusing
  perfect progressive
• has been chorusing
  perfect progressive

Past

• chorused
  simple
• had chorused
  perfect
• was chorusing
  progressive
• were chorusing
  progressive
• had been chorusing
  perfect progressive

Future

• will chorus
  simple
• will have chorused
  perfect
• will be chorusing
  progressive
• will have been chorusing
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of chorus

1555–65; < Latin < Greek chorós a dance, band of dancers and singers

Explanation

A chorus is a group of singers or that catchy part of a song that repeats several times. In ancient Greek tragedies, a khoros was a group of people that spoke in unison about the actions of the characters. And that's where we got the word chorus, which usually refers to a group of singers or performers, or the refrain of a song when a group of vocalists joins a soloist. A chorus of groans may follow a teacher's announcement of an upcoming test, which means that the entire class voices its dismay at the same time.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

chorus choruses chorused chorusing

In 2021, Covid-19 protocols meant that the chorus had to sing from the side of the stage in Alessandro Talevi’s fantastical production of Tchaikovsky’s “Eugene Onegin.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 10, 2026

You read that right: Despite a chorus of criticism over the last few years, which in recent weeks has reached a crescendo, the 60/40 portfolio is more than holding its own this year.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 5, 2026

Now that you have the sweet chorus of “Can you take me higher?” in your head, our work here is done.

From Slate ● Jul. 30, 2026

She emerged from the weekend with half the media world and a chorus of Hollywood celebrities wildly applauding her bravery.

From Salon ● Jul. 29, 2026

“Amen,” said Homer Hindman and Phoebe Tolbert and then a chorus of folks.

From Each Little Bird That Sings by Deborah Wiles

It was already after midnight—Sunday morning, July 8—when Ellington launched “Diminuendo and Crescendo” with a few blues choruses of his own on piano.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 8, 2026

Blending folk-infused pop songs with anthemic choruses, he has built a reputation for emotionally open songwriting.

From BBC ● Jun. 13, 2026

Arias, recitatives and choruses are more like ruminations from the King James Bible, as part of a spiritual journey.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 11, 2026

It’s not as though we have a bunch of huge singsong choruses where everybody can hold hands and get their phones out.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 30, 2026

By the third time I’d listened through the CD, I knew all the words to the choruses, at least.

From "Twilight" by Stephenie Meyer

Another Slate colleague, at a bar in southern Italy, reported that all the Americans similarly looked at their phones at once and chorused “Guilty!”

From Slate ● May 30, 2024

“We are revolutionaries. We are free,” they chorused.

From Seattle Times ● Oct. 25, 2021

“This land you knew will still be singing,” they chorused.

From The Guardian ● Jul. 2, 2017

“Right 30,” his mates chorused back, shifting direction slightly.

From Washington Post ● Jun. 29, 2015

“A-menable,” the twins chorused in misery, barely stumbling over the unusual word.

From "Atonement" by Ian McEwan

It can be hard on the eardrums when all those cicadas get together in those trees and start chorusing.

From Seattle Times ● Apr. 1, 2024

BST03:17 This is the kind of scene that Cameron and his team must have been hoping for when planning his visit to Lebanon – Syrian refugee children chorusing “thank you” to the prime minister.

From The Guardian ● Sep. 14, 2015

Arkansas is also home to annual cicadas, which will emerge and begin their chorusing.

From Washington Times ● Jun. 8, 2015

The system flags trouble spots with an alphabet app—Jayden is having trouble with difference between “C “and “K,” for instance—that might be easy to miss when the whole class is chorusing the alphabet together.

From Slate ● Aug. 7, 2012

"I'd like to shake hands with you, just once," Blanche said in a low voice, while the rest were chorusing.

From A Daughter of the Snows by Jack London

Related Words

• melody
• music
• theme
• tune