chairman

[chair-muh n]

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.).

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

Related Words for chairman

spokesman, administrator, chairperson, director, leader, chairwoman, monitor, moderator, speaker, president, chair, captain, principal, toastmaster, introducer, presider, prolocutor

Examples from the Web for chairman

Contemporary Examples of 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
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
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
“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
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

Historical Examples of chairman

The chairman rose to propose the toast of the evening, and was received with cheers.
Explorations in Australia
John Forrest
Mr. Randell, the Chairman of the Perth Municipality, read an address of welcome.
Explorations in Australia
John Forrest
He was Chairman of this, Trustee of that, President of the other.
Little Dorrit
Charles Dickens
"That is my name," said the chairman of the Malgamite Fund, with his finger in his watch-chain.
Roden's Corner
Henry Seton Merriman
Marsh shouted to the chairman, and the piercing whistle for order was heard.
The Harbor
Ernest Poole

British Dictionary definitions for chairman

chairman

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

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.