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chairman

[ chair-muhn ]
/ ˈtʃɛər mən /
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noun, plural chair·men.
the presiding officer of a meeting, committee, board, etc.
the administrative head of a department in a high school, college, or university.
someone employed to carry or wheel a person in a chair.
verb (used with object), chair·maned or chair·manned, chair·man·ing or chair·man·ning.
to act as or be chairman of (a meeting, committee, etc.).
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Origin of chairman

First recorded in 1645–55; chair + -man

usage note for chairman

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH chairman

chair, chairman , chairperson, chairwoman
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use chairman in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for chairman

chairman
/ (ˈtʃɛəmən) /

noun plural -men
Also called: chairperson, (fem) chairwoman a person who presides over a company's board of directors, a committee, a debate, an administrative department, etc
history someone who carries a sedan chair

Derived forms of chairman

chairmanship, noun

usage for chairman

Chairman can seem inappropriate when applied to a woman, while chairwoman can be offensive. Chair and chairperson can be applied to either a man or a woman; chair is generally preferred to chairperson
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
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