director's chair

American  

noun

1. a lightweight folding armchair with transversely crossed legs and having a canvas seat and back panel, as traditionally used by motion-picture directors.

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director's chair British  

noun

1. a light wooden folding chair with arm rests and a canvas seat and back

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Etymology

Origin of director's chair

First recorded in 1950–55

Example Sentences

But you don’t have to play every role yourself—take the director’s chair, define the scenes, and choose your cast from the parts of yourself that serve the story you truly want to tell.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 6, 2025

He also returned to the director's chair in 1990 with the film Frankenstein Unbound.

From BBC • May 12, 2024

Yet in “Final Cut,” Bach isn’t simply falling on his sword, nor is Cimino simply a dictator in the director’s chair.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 8, 2024

While the programme was "going gangbusters" by the time Glazier stepped into the director's chair, he reveals the earliest shows required a creative approach.

From BBC • Jan. 10, 2024

Mr. McGuire sat down on his special blue director's chair in the front of the studio.

From "The Cinderella Ballet Mystery: Nancy Drew and the Clue Crew, #4" by Carolyn Keene