chairman

[ chair-muh n ]

/ ˈtʃɛər mən /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR chairman ON THESAURUS.COM

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.).

Nearby words

Origin of chairman

First recorded in 1645–55; chair + -man

Can be confusedchair chairman chairperson chairwoman (see usage note at chairperson)

Usage note

See chairperson.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for chairman

Their friendship began when Krauss, who was chairman of the physics department at Case Western in Cleveland, sought out Epstein.
Sleazy Billionaire’s Double Life Featured Beach Parties With Stephen Hawking|M.L. Nestel|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Occasionally Lew Wasserman, the chairman of MCA and one of Hitchcock's oldest friends, rings up just to see how he is.
Alfred Hitchcock’s Fade to Black: The Great Director’s Final Days|David Freeman|December 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST
He recently put up $50 million for half the cost of the Kennedy Center expansion, where he is chairman of the board.
Patriotic Philanthropy: Not an Oxymoron|Eleanor Clift|November 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST
“There are people in the party who live alternative lifestyles,” said Michael McDonald, the state GOP chairman.
Could This Be the First Pro-Choice Republican on a National Ticket?|David Freedlander|November 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST

He founded Housing Enterprise for the Less Privileged (HELP), and served as chairman of the New York City Homeless Commission.
Andrew Cuomo Ignores Rural New York|David Fontana|November 8, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The resolution directed the Chairman to cast the vote in the negative.
A Report of the Debates and Proceedings in the Secret Sessions of the Conference Convention|Lucius Eugene Chittenden
There is a pause at the end of each verse until the chairman starts the company on the next.
Three Men on the Bummel|Jerome K. Jerome
The rex was also a military leader, a high priest and a chairman of certain courts.
The Origin of the Family Private Property and the State|Frederick Engels
Immediately after, a lady presented herself at the door and asked the chairman to introduce me to her.
Friend Mac Donald|Max O'Rell
The little gentleman in the grass-cloth duster and velvet skull-cap was chairman of this committee, and he stated its object.
A Romance in Transit|Francis Lynde

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 Formschairmanship, noun

usage

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

Word Origin and History for chairman

chairman

1650s, "occupier of a chair of authority," from chair (n.) + man (n.). Meaning "member of a corporate body chosen to preside at meetings" is from c.1730. Chairwoman in this sense first attested 1752; chairperson 1971.