chorus

[kawr-uh s, kohr-]

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noun, plural cho·rus·es.

Music.

a group of persons singing in unison.
(in an opera, oratorio, etc.) such a group singing choral parts in connection with soloists or individual singers.
a piece of music for singing in unison.
a part of a song that recurs at intervals, usually following each verse; refrain.

simultaneous utterance in singing, speaking, shouting, etc.

the sounds so uttered: a chorus of jeers.

(in a musical show)

a company of dancers and singers.
the singing, dancing, or songs performed by such a company.

(in ancient Greece)

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

Theater.

a group of actors or a single actor having a function similar to that of the Greek chorus, as in Elizabethan drama.
the part of a play performed by such a group or individual.

verb (used with or without object), cho·rused, cho·rus·ing.

to sing or speak in chorus.

Idioms

in chorus, in unison; with all speaking or singing simultaneously: They responded in chorus to the minister's questions.

Origin of chorus

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

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for chorus

ensemble, choir, melody, music, theme, tune, unison, concert, harmony, choristers, chorale, motif, song, strain, burden, bob, response, accord, consonance, concord

Examples from the Web for chorus

Contemporary Examples of chorus

And then that chorus kicks in, and the young lady formerly known as Lizzy Grant transforms into the princess of darkness.
The 14 Best Songs of 2014: Bobby Shmurda, Future Islands, Drake, and More
Marlow Stern
December 31, 2014
Another beautiful Eminor number, with a nice shift up to the major for the chorus.
Yes, I Like Christmas Music. Stop Laughing.
Michael Tomasky
December 24, 2014
As she finishes the thought, a chorus of voices rises around her.
Even Grade School Kids Are Protesting the Garner Killing Now
Caitlin Dickson
December 6, 2014
Since the arrival of Chorus Master Donald Palumbo, the Met chorus now commands that same level of excellence as the orchestra.
Inside the Metropolitan Opera’s Insane Year
Shawn E. Milnes
November 23, 2014
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, joining in the chorus, severely berates Tehran for its role in the Levant.
The Nuclear Deal That Iran’s Regime Fears Most
Djavad Khadem
November 22, 2014

Historical Examples of chorus

When Banstead took the chorus out to supper he had the ready repartee of his kind.
Viviette
William J. Locke
Shall I sing the chorus now or would you prefer to hear it later.
Grace Harlowe's Return to Overton Campus
Jessie Graham Flower
Her gasp of astonishment was lost in the chorus of congratulatory cries.
The Leopard Woman
Stewart Edward White
So they all called in chorus,—Fido and the other honest friends.
A Little Book of Profitable Tales
Eugene Field
I know who's goin' to be there, an' set in the chorus an' sing alto.
Meadow Grass
Alice Brown

British Dictionary definitions for chorus

chorus

noun plural -ruses

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

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

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

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

jazz any of a series of variations on a theme

(in ancient Greece)

a lyric poem sung by a group of dancers, originally as a religious rite
an ode or series of odes sung by a group of actors

(in classical Greek drama) the actors who sang the chorus and commented on the action of the play
actors playing a similar role in any drama

(esp in Elizabethan drama) the actor who spoke the prologue, etc
the part of the play spoken by this actor

a group of people or animals producing words or sounds simultaneously

any speech, song, or other utterance produced by a group of people or animals simultaneouslya chorus of sighs; the dawn chorus

in chorus in unison

verb

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

Word Origin for chorus

C16: from Latin, from Greek khoros

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 chorus

1560s, from Latin chorus "a dance in a circle, the persons singing and dancing, the chorus of a tragedy," from Greek khoros "band of dancers or singers, dance, dancing ground," perhaps from PIE *gher- "to grasp, enclose," if the original sense of the Greek word is "enclosed dancing floor." Extension from dance to voice is because Attic drama arose from tales inserted in the intervals of the dance. In Attic tragedy, the khoros (of 15 or 24 persons) gave expression, between the acts, to the moral and religious sentiments evoked by the actions of the play.

When a Poet wished to bring out a piece, he asked a Chorus from the Archon, and the expenses, being great, were defrayed by some rich citizen (the khoregos): it was furnished by the Tribe and trained originally by the Poet himself" [Liddell & Scott]

Originally in English used in theatrical sense; meaning of "a choir" first attested 1650s. Meaning "the refrain of a song" (which the audience joins in singing) is 1590s. As a verb, 1703, from the noun. Chorus girl is 1894.

Idioms and Phrases with chorus

chorus

see in chorus.