chairperson

[chair-pur-suhn]

noun

1. a person who presides over a meeting, committee, board, etc.

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

chairperson

/ ˈtʃɛəˌpɜːsən /

noun

1. another word for chairman

Gender Note

Chairperson has, since the 1960s, come to be used widely as an alternative to either chairman or chairwoman. This change was motivated largely by a desire to avoid chairman, which was felt to be inappropriate and even sexually discriminatory when applied to a woman. Chairperson is standard in all varieties of speech and writing. Despite such widespread acceptance, some organizations and publications do not use chairperson at all, usually on the grounds that it is awkward and that chairman is a well-established generic term. Many style guides advocate use of the term chair to designate the presiding officer, thus avoiding charges of both sexism and awkwardness: Jim will be chair of the entertainment committee this year, and Jane will be chair next year. See also -man, -person, -woman.

Other Word Forms

• chairpersonship noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of chairperson¹

First recorded in 1970–75; chair(man) + -person

Example Sentences

A report will then be prepared by a new chairperson.

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The inquiry team said his replacement would be decided by Scottish government ministers, with the new chairperson then appointing counsel.

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Others have said that a chairperson who has worked in a related field could bring understanding and relevance to the post.

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However, a chairperson has yet to be appointed.

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The chairperson of parliament's education committee also shared her "utter horror and deep concern" over the video.

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