chair
Americannoun
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chairs
plural
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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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chairs,
present (3rd person singular)
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chaired,
past participle, past
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chairing
present participle
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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)
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chairs,
present (3rd person singular)
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chaired,
past participle, past
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chairing
present participle
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:
Kaya, an AKP deputy chair who served as family minister from 2016 to 2018, and her husband allegedly offloaded shares before news of the scandal broke.
From Barron's ● Sep. 27, 2026
The view looking out at the Pacific Ocean while sitting in a chair or hanging on the railing at the Mountain is something to cherish.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 27, 2026
Ray Fisman is the Slater Family chair in Behavioral Economics at Boston University, whose next book, “The Model Company: The Economics of Making Business Do the Greatest Good,” will be published in the winter.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 24, 2026
Murdoch stepped down as News Corp chair in 2023 transitioning to the role of chairman emeritus.
From BBC ● Sep. 23, 2026
“I’ll just sit here for a while,” Gingersnipes said, looking quite cozy in Clare’s oversized chair.
From "The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest" by Aubrey Hartman
Peberdy, who chairs a group which looks into how the county's bus services can be improved, confirmed Bromyard-based DRM did plan to participate.
From BBC ● Sep. 23, 2026
Abbott is the finance director for her 2026 reelection effort, and Reed again chairs the main Collins super PAC.
From Salon ● Sep. 23, 2026
A circle of nine stately wood chairs on a bare stage.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 18, 2026
It isn’t unusual for presidents and Fed chairs to meet on occasion, but in recent decades the contacts have been more formal and choreographed to avoid the perception the president is influencing rate decisions.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 16, 2026
Not wanting to be left behind, I hurried forward and jumped into the open set of chairs on the far right.
From "Glitch" by Laura Martin
She chaired the Congressional Black Caucus and helped secure Juneteenth as a federal holiday.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 20, 2026
On the City Council, she passed significant legislation around tenants’ rights and rent stabilization and chaired the council’s Housing and Homelessness Committee starting in 2023, but lost that position in a council shakeup this summer.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 20, 2026
South Korea is home to some of the world's most celebrated filmmakers, including Park Chan-wook, who chaired the Cannes film festival jury this year, and Bong Joon-ho, the Oscar-winning director of "Parasite".
From Barron's ● Sep. 7, 2026
At the time, Keep Florida Clean was chaired by James Uthmeier, then DeSantis’ chief of staff and now Florida’s attorney general.
From Salon ● Aug. 30, 2026
The General Advisory Committee, still chaired by Oppenheimer, was also leaning toward a second lab.
From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik
Fox’s own Washington bureau chief, Bryan Boughton, who happened to be chairing the pool this week, sent the note announcing the shutdown.
From Salon ● Sep. 26, 2026
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
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
“Sorry, Flora. You know I’m chairing the principals’ conference this year, and it’s just details, details, details.”
From "Schooled" by Gordon Korman
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.
