chair

[ chair ]

/ tʃɛər /

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See synonyms for: chair / chaired / chairing / chairs on Thesaurus.com

noun

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.

something that serves as a chair or supports like a chair: The two men clasped hands to make a chair for their injured companion.

a seat of office or authority.

a position of authority, as of a judge, professor, etc.

the person occupying a seat of office, especially the chairperson of a meeting: The speaker addressed the chair.

(in an orchestra) the position of a player, assigned by rank; desk: first clarinet chair.

the chair, Informal. electric chair.

chairlift.

sedan chair.

(in reinforced-concrete construction) a device for maintaining the position of reinforcing rods or strands during the pouring operation.

a glassmaker's bench having extended arms on which a blowpipe is rolled in shaping glass.

British Railroads. a metal block for supporting a rail and securing it to a crosstie or the like.

verb (used with object)

to place or seat in a chair.

to install in office.

to preside over; act as chairperson of: to chair a committee.

British. to carry (a hero or victor) aloft in triumph.

verb (used without object)

to preside over a meeting, committee, etc.

QUIZ

CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?

There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?

Question 1 of 7

Which sentence is correct?

His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Idioms about chair

get the chair, to be sentenced to die in the electric chair.

take the chair,

to begin or open a meeting.
to preside at a meeting; act as chairperson.

Origin of chair

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English chaiere, from Old French, from Latin cathedra; see cathedra

usage note for chair

5. Is it chair, chairman, chairwoman, or chairperson? See chairperson.

OTHER WORDS FROM chair

chair·less, adjectiveun·chair, verb (used with object)

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH chair

chair , chairman, chairperson, chairwoman

Words nearby chair

chainstitch, chain store, chain wale, chainwheel, chainwork, chair, chair bed, chairborne, chairbound, chair car, chairlady

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use chair in a sentence

The best desk chair has to look and feel good so your office is a tranquil, productive space.
Best desk chair for any home office|PopSci Commerce Team|February 11, 2021|Popular-Science
For example, Stepanek says that if you were to sit in an office chair with your eyes closed, and someone were to rotate it very smoothly at a constant rate, eventually your vestibular system would be thrown off.
This surprisingly common flight issue contributed to Kobe Bryant’s helicopter crash|Rob Verger|February 11, 2021|Popular-Science
However, a throw-size blanket for use on a chair or couch is not designed to be that large anyway, so it’s easier to find budget blankets in that size range.
Best heated throw blanket: Bundle up with these electric blankets|PopSci Commerce Team|February 11, 2021|Popular-Science
Hawley’s feet were up on a chair as he studiously scanned through stacks of papers, which he later said were trial briefs from both legal teams.
Republican senators show emotion, but little evidence of changed minds|Seung Min Kim, Karoun Demirjian|February 11, 2021|Washington Post

He was especially impressed by one of them, who was seated in a chair with her hands on the heads of two leopards.
What archaeologists got wrong about female statues, goddesses, and fertility|Annalee Newitz|February 10, 2021|Popular-Science
While 19 percent of the House is female, just one woman will get to chair one of its 20 committees.
The Unbearable Whiteness of Congress|Dean Obeidallah|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
She added: “NBC News is proud to have David in the important anchor chair of ‘Meet the Press.’ ”
David Gregory's 'Meet the Press' Eviction Exposed in Washingtonian Takedown|Lloyd Grove|December 23, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Still fearful and smarting from the pain, I arrived on time and was led to chair in his office.
I Was Gang Raped at a UVA Frat 30 Years Ago, and No One Did Anything|Liz Seccuro|December 16, 2014|DAILY BEAST
In our screenings, he always sits in the same corner chair and always looks hopeful, no matter what the movie.
Alfred Hitchcock’s Fade to Black: The Great Director’s Final Days|David Freeman|December 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST
For a large fee, you could be pushed down the boardwalk on a rolling wicker chair by a black worker.
I Watched a Casino Kill Itself: The Awful Last Nights of Atlantic City’s Taj Mahal|Olivia Nuzzi|December 8, 2014|DAILY BEAST
It ended on a complaint that she was 'tired rather and spending my time at full length on a deck-chair in the garden.'
The Wave|Algernon Blackwood
With a suffocating gasp, she fell back into the chair on which she sat, and covered her face with her hands.
The Pastor's Fire-side Vol. 3 of 4|Jane Porter
The president sat in a chair which came over with the pilgrims in their ship, the Mayflower.
Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, Volume 60, No. 372, October 1846|Various
She was holding the back of her chair with one hand; her loose sleeve had slipped almost to the shoulder of her uplifted arm.
The Awakening and Selected Short Stories|Kate Chopin
He noticed at the same time several burnt matches between his cushions and her chair.
The Wave|Algernon Blackwood

British Dictionary definitions for chair

chair

/ (tʃɛə) /

noun

a seat with a back on which one person sits, typically having four legs and often having arms

an official position of authoritya chair on the board of directors

the person chairing a debate or meetingthe speaker addressed the chair

a professorshipthe chair of German

railways an iron or steel cradle bolted to a sleeper in which the rail sits and is locked in position

short for sedan chair

in the chair chairing a debate or meeting

take the chair to preside as chairman for a meeting, etc

the chair an informal name for electric chair

verb (tr)

to preside over (a meeting)

British to carry aloft in a sitting position after a triumph or great achievement

to provide with a chair of office

to install in a chair

Word Origin for chair

C13: from Old French chaiere, from Latin cathedra, from Greek kathedra, from kata- down + hedra seat; compare cathedral

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Idioms and Phrases with chair

chair

see musical chairs.

chair

Idioms about chair

Origin of chair

usage note for chair

OTHER WORDS FROM chair

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH chair

Words nearby chair

Words related to chair

How to use chair in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for chair

Word Origin for chair

Other Idioms and Phrases with chair