chair

1 of 2

noun

plural chairs
1
a
: a seat typically having four legs and a back for one person
b
: electric chair
used with the
2
a
: an official seat or a seat of authority, state, or dignity
b
: an office or position of authority or dignity
c
: professorship
holds a university chair
d
: chairperson sense 1
was appointed chair of the committee
3
: a position of employment usually of one occupying a chair or desk
specifically : the position of a player in an orchestra or band
4
: any of various devices that hold up or support
5

chair

2 of 2

verb

chaired; chairing; chairs

transitive verb

1
: to preside as chairperson of
chaired a commission
2
: to install in office
3
chiefly British : to carry on the shoulders in acclaim
we chaired you through the market placeA. E. Housman

Examples of chair in a Sentence

Noun a chair by the window We'll need a table and four chairs for the dining room. He is now chair of the English department. She's chair of the school board this year. Address any questions to the committee chair. a murderer who was sentenced to the chair Verb He's been chosen to chair the task force on school violence.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Noun
Bubba Cunningham, chair of the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Committee, will also join the broadcast for a live interview to break down the bracket. Monica Mercuri, Forbes, 16 Mar. 2025 Pritzker left the library board in 1998 and stepped down as library foundation chair in 2004. Bob Goldsborough, Chicago Tribune, 16 Mar. 2025
Verb
The Honors Advisory Committee — which last year was chaired by David Bohnett and included a mix of past recipients and other artists — recommends each ceremony’s recipients, who were then confirmed by the executive committee of the board. Ted Johnson, Deadline, 17 Mar. 2025 Ministers and representatives from Western partners, as well as Syria’s regional neighbors, other Arab countries and United Nations agencies were taking part in the one-day meeting in Brussels chaired by European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas. Lorne Cook and Abby Sewell, Los Angeles Times, 17 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for chair

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English chaiere, from Anglo-French, from Latin cathedra, from Greek kathedra, from kata- cata- + hedra seat — more at sit

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

1610, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of chair was in the 14th century

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Chair.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/chair. Accessed 23 Mar. 2025.

Kids Definition

chair

noun
ˈche(ə)r,
ˈcha(ə)r
1
: a seat with legs and a back for use by one person
2
a
: an official seat or a seat of authority or honor
b
: an office or position of authority or honor
c
: an official who conducts a meeting

More from Merriam-Webster on chair

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