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Synonyms

chairman

American  
[chair-muhn] / ˈtʃɛər mən /

noun

plural

chairmen

  1. the presiding officer of a meeting, committee, board, etc.

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

  3. someone employed to carry or wheel a person in a chair.

verb (used with object)

chairmaned, chairmanned, chairmaning, chairmanning

  1. to act as or be chairman of (a meeting, committee, etc.).

chairman British  
/ ˈtʃɛəmən /

noun

  1. Also called: chairperson.   chairwoman.  a person who presides over a company's board of directors, a committee, a debate, an administrative department, etc

  2. history someone who carries a sedan chair

"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

Usage

Chairman can seem inappropriate when applied to a woman, while chairwoman can be offensive. Chair and chairperson can be applied to either a man or a woman; chair is generally preferred to chairperson

Gender

Is it chairman, chairwoman, or chairperson? See chairperson.

Other Word Forms

  • chairmanship noun

Etymology

Origin of chairman

First recorded in 1645–55; chair + -man

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

“The longer energy prices remain elevated, the more households will need to confront tradeoffs,” said Philip N. Jefferson, vice chairman of the Federal Reserve, at a recent lecture.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 9, 2026

“The submarine cable industry goes to great lengths to protect cables, provide resilient networks and minimize disruptions,” said Dean Veverka, the committee chairman and chief technology officer at cable operator Southern Cross.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 9, 2026

Bokhari came on board in 2023 and was appointed executive chairman last year.

From Barron's • Apr. 8, 2026

Mace urged Republican chairman of the House Oversight Committee, James Comer, to "publicly reaffirm former Attorney General Pam Bondi's legal obligation to appear for her deposition".

From BBC • Apr. 8, 2026

Most addressed their letters, postcards, and telegrams to FCC chairman McNinch, whose name appeared in newspapers the day after the broadcast.

From "Spooked!" by Gail Jarrow

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.