chair
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.
(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.
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.
to preside over a meeting, committee, etc.
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
1usage note For chair
Other words from chair
- chair·less, adjective
- un·chair, verb (used with object)
Words that may be confused with chair
- chair , chairman, chairperson, chairwoman
Words Nearby chair
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.
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-ScienceHowever, 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-ScienceHawley’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 PostHe 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.
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 | THE DAILY BEASTStill 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 | THE DAILY BEASTIn 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 | THE DAILY BEASTFor 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 | THE DAILY BEASTIt 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 BlackwoodWith 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 PorterThe president sat in a chair which came over with the pilgrims in their ship, the Mayflower.
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 ChopinHe noticed at the same time several burnt matches between his cushions and her chair.
The Wave | Algernon Blackwood
British Dictionary definitions for chair
/ (tʃɛə) /
a seat with a back on which one person sits, typically having four legs and often having arms
an official position of authority: a chair on the board of directors
the person chairing a debate or meeting: the speaker addressed the chair
a professorship: the 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
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
Origin of chair
1Collins 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
see musical chairs.
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
Browse