choir

American  

[kwahy^uhr] / kwaɪər /

Archaic, quire

noun

• choirs
  plural

1. a company of singers, especially an organized group employed in church service.

2. any group of musicians or musical instruments; a musical company, or band, or a division of one.

   string choir.

3. Architecture.

   1. the part of a church occupied by the singers of the choir.

   2. the part of a cruciform church east of the crossing.

4. (in medieval angelology) one of the orders of angels.

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adjective

1. professed to recite or chant the divine office.

   a choir monk.

verb (used with or without object)

1. to sing or sound in chorus.

idioms

1. preach to the choir. see preach to the choir.

choir British  

/ kwaɪə /

noun

1. an organized group of singers, esp for singing in church services

2. 1. the part of a cathedral, abbey, or church in front of the altar, lined on both sides with benches, and used by the choir and clergy Compare chancel

   2. ( as modifier )

      choir stalls

3. a number of instruments of the same family playing together

   a brass choir

4. Also called: choir organ.  one of the manuals on an organ controlling a set of soft sweet-toned pipes Compare great swell

5. any of the nine orders of angels in medieval angelology

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• choirlike
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• choirs
  plural

Etymology

Origin of choir

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English quer, from Old French cuer, from Latin chorus “choir,” replacing Old English chor, from Latin; see chorus

Explanation

A choir is group of singers, often gathered for church ceremonies. If you love to sing but don't fancy a solo turn on a TV talent show, perhaps joining a choir would satisfy you. Choir, pronounced QUIRE, comes from the Latin word chorus, which itself comes from the Greek name for a group of singers and dancers. We still use chorus for singing or dancing, but choir is exclusively for singing groups. Although choirs are traditionally associated with church services, they don't have to be. If you love singing but aren't religious, you could start a choir that sings about the glory of donuts. It's also a verb, as in, "I love to choir."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

choir choirs

The gleeful melodies of the church choir practicing next door seeped in.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 8, 2026

He also served as the choir director at a local church.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 30, 2026

Coldplay will feature in a collaboration with PS22 Chorus, an acclaimed choir of students from a New York public elementary school.

From Barron's ● Jul. 8, 2026

Reddick loads her genre-blurring tale with outlandish intrigue involving Soviet spies, a capitalist cult and a roving choir that doubles as a Greek chorus.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 8, 2026

When a good choir sings in harmony without instruments, they will tune without even thinking about it.

From "Understanding Basic Music Theory" by Catherine Schmidt-Jones and Russel Jones

Gospel choirs, country musicians, jazz ensembles, mariachi groups, Indigenous performers, military bands and local community orchestras share stages throughout the city.

From Salon ● Jul. 4, 2026

McCann said that five choirs took part in the event in different locations.

From BBC ● Apr. 19, 2026

“And then a few minutes later they’re praying on the ship and I’ve used all these reverbs and there’s all these choirs singing in the background — it’s almost like what they felt from within.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 24, 2025

This included a community cast of 90 Bradford residents aged from eight to 76 who joined forces with dancers, musicians and choirs.

From BBC ● Dec. 20, 2025

The house was an altar with ten thousand attendants, big, small, servicing, attending, in choirs.

From "The Martian Chronicles" by Ray Bradbury

Related Words

• assemblage
• band
• cast
• chorus
• orchestra
• quartet
• quintet
• sextet
• trio
• troupe