chairman

[chair-muhn]

noun

plural

chairmen 

1. the presiding officer of a meeting, committee, board, etc.

2. the administrative head of a department in a high school, college, or university.

3. someone employed to carry or wheel a person in a chair.

verb (used with object)

chairmaned, chairmanned, chairmaning, chairmanning. 

1. to act as or be chairman of (a meeting, committee, etc.).

chairman

/ ˈtʃɛəmən /

noun

1. Also called: chairperson.  chairwoman. a person who presides over a company's board of directors, a committee, a debate, an administrative department, etc

2. history someone who carries a sedan chair

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

Gender Note

Is it chairman, chairwoman, or chairperson? See chairperson.

Other Word Forms

• chairmanship noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of chairman¹

First recorded in 1645–55; chair + -man

Example Sentences

Dr Jack Fletcher, chairman of the BMA's resident doctors committee, said as the government had failed to come forward with a credible plan the union had been left with no choice.

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During his time in Parliament, he served as Minister for School Standards in the Department for Education and was appointed as deputy chairman of the Conservative Party last year.

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"Obviously if that occurred, that would be very serious, and I agree that that would be an illegal act," Turner, a former chairman of the Intelligence Committee, told CBS.

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Reports that White House economic adviser Kevin Hassett has emerged as the front-runner to be the next chairman of the Fed also appeared to help keep the rally going this week.

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In a letter to the Commons Treasury select committee, OBR chairman Richard Hughes revealed that he also told the chancellor on 17 September that the public finances were in better shape than widely thought.

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Related Words

• administrator 
• chairperson 
• chairwoman 
• director 
• leader 
• spokesman