chorus

American  

[kawr-uhs, kohr-] / ˈkɔr əs, ˈkoʊr- /

noun

choruses plural

1. Music.

   1. a group of persons singing in unison.

   2. (in an opera, oratorio, etc.) such a group singing choral parts in connection with soloists or individual singers.

   3. a piece of music for singing in unison.

   4. a part of a song that recurs at intervals, usually following each verse; refrain.

2. simultaneous utterance in singing, speaking, shouting, etc.

3. the sounds so uttered.

   a chorus of jeers.

4. (in a musical show)

   1. a company of dancers and singers.

   2. the singing, dancing, or songs performed by such a company.

5. (in ancient Greece)

   1. a lyric poem, believed to have been in dithyrambic form, that was sung and danced to, originally as a religious rite, by a company of persons.

   2. an ode or series of odes sung by a group of actors in ancient Greek drama.

   3. the group of actors that performed the chorus and served as major participants in, commentators on, or as a supplement to the main action of the drama.

6. Theater.

   1. a group of actors or a single actor having a function similar to that of the Greek chorus, as in Elizabethan drama.

   2. the part of a play performed by such a group or individual.

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verb (used with or without object)

choruses, present (3rd person singular) chorused, past participle, past chorusing present participle

1. to sing or speak in chorus.

idioms

1. in chorus, in unison; with all speaking or singing simultaneously.

   They responded in chorus to the minister's questions.

chorus British  

/ ˈkɔːrəs /

noun

1. a large choir of singers or a piece of music composed for such a choir

2. a body of singers or dancers who perform together, in contrast to principals or soloists

3. a section of a song in which a soloist is joined by a group of singers, esp in a recurring refrain

4. an intermediate section of a pop song, blues, etc, as distinct from the verse

5. jazz any of a series of variations on a theme

6. 1. a lyric poem sung by a group of dancers, originally as a religious rite

   2. an ode or series of odes sung by a group of actors

7. 1. (in classical Greek drama) the actors who sang the chorus and commented on the action of the play

   2. actors playing a similar role in any drama

8. 1. (esp in Elizabethan drama) the actor who spoke the prologue, etc

   2. the part of the play spoken by this actor

9. a group of people or animals producing words or sounds simultaneously

10. any speech, song, or other utterance produced by a group of people or animals simultaneously

    a chorus of sighs

    the dawn chorus

11. in unison

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verb

1. to speak, sing, or utter (words, etc) in unison

chorus More Idioms  

1. see in chorus.

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Other Word Forms

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• choruses
  plural

Participles

• chorusing
  present
• chorused
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• chorus
  simple
• choruses
  simple
• have chorused
  perfect
• has chorused
  perfect
• am chorusing
  progressive
• are chorusing
  progressive
• is chorusing
  progressive
• have been chorusing
  perfect progressive
• has been chorusing
  perfect progressive

Past

• chorused
  simple
• had chorused
  perfect
• was chorusing
  progressive
• were chorusing
  progressive
• had been chorusing
  perfect progressive

Future

• will chorus
  simple
• will have chorused
  perfect
• will be chorusing
  progressive
• will have been chorusing
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of chorus

1555–65; < Latin < Greek chorós a dance, band of dancers and singers

Explanation

A chorus is a group of singers or that catchy part of a song that repeats several times. In ancient Greek tragedies, a khoros was a group of people that spoke in unison about the actions of the characters. And that's where we got the word chorus, which usually refers to a group of singers or performers, or the refrain of a song when a group of vocalists joins a soloist. A chorus of groans may follow a teacher's announcement of an upcoming test, which means that the entire class voices its dismay at the same time.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

chorus choruses chorused chorusing

Released last week, it finds Snow Patrol at their best, with a singalong chorus that bounds over like a puppy and charms you into submission.

From BBC ● Jul. 11, 2026

Minho goes first, moving carefully as he recollects the steps to 2Pm's viral track My House, with its famous chorus: "I wanna take you to my house."

From BBC ● Jul. 10, 2026

The crowd grew even louder when Lineage Chief Operating Officer Jeff Rivera took to the stage and was met with a chorus of “Liar!”

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 10, 2026

“It’s just my luck; I don’t have anything to wear,” Tyler coos in the chorus.

From Salon ● Jul. 9, 2026

Across the street, a group of blacks responded with a thundering chorus of “We Shall Overcome.”

From "Because They Marched" by Russell Freedman

Blending folk-infused pop songs with anthemic choruses, he has built a reputation for emotionally open songwriting.

From BBC ● Jun. 13, 2026

Modern directors and adapters are wary of the civic and cosmic levels, perhaps out of fear that pagan prophets and citizen choruses will seem artificial or dated.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 6, 2026

Then a few modest choruses of “sell the team” broke out.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 4, 2026

A couple of years ago, comedian Jack Finnegan joked that Kiedis writes some of the most beautiful choruses in the world, only to flip into sounding like he’s experiencing a medical emergency during his verses.

From Salon ● Apr. 4, 2026

As he spoke, the crowd interrupted him again and again with waves of applause and choruses of hearty cheers.

From "The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics" by Daniel James Brown

Another Slate colleague, at a bar in southern Italy, reported that all the Americans similarly looked at their phones at once and chorused “Guilty!”

From Slate ● May 30, 2024

“We are revolutionaries. We are free,” they chorused.

From Seattle Times ● Oct. 25, 2021

“Yes on A.B. 5! Yes on A.B. 5!” they chorused.

From New York Times ● Sep. 9, 2019

For whatever reason — faith, common sense, a well-functioning moral compass and BS detector — Butler found it within himself to say “no” while a powerful, high-minded flock all around him chorused “yes.”

From Washington Post ● Feb. 17, 2016

“Hi!” they chorused nervously, but they were calmer than before.

From "Flying Through Water" by Mamle Wolo

It can be hard on the eardrums when all those cicadas get together in those trees and start chorusing.

From Seattle Times ● Apr. 1, 2024

This time, you have chosen to call in, to take a couple of minutes of your day to hear some Hall and Oates, or “My Old Kentucky Home,” or a tinny recording of chorusing cicadas.

From Slate ● Jun. 24, 2021

BST03:17 This is the kind of scene that Cameron and his team must have been hoping for when planning his visit to Lebanon – Syrian refugee children chorusing “thank you” to the prime minister.

From The Guardian ● Sep. 14, 2015

Arkansas is also home to annual cicadas, which will emerge and begin their chorusing.

From Washington Times ● Jun. 8, 2015

Warm wind was in their faces, sweet, reverberant voices of the wood-things came chorusing, and ahead there in the dimness, that misty will-o'-the-wisp was her veil, Olivia's veil.

From Romance Island by Gale, Zona

Related Words

• melody
• music
• theme
• tune