chairperson

noun

chair·​per·​son ˈcher-ˌpər-sᵊn 

plural chairpersons

1

: the presiding officer of a meeting, organization, committee, or event

2

: the administrative officer of a department of instruction (as in a college)

Synonyms

• chair
• chairman
• moderator
• president
• presider
• prolocutor
• speaker

Examples of chairperson in a Sentence

A new chairperson for the committee has not yet been appointed.

the chairperson will determine the order in which people will speak

Recent Examples on the Web

Amy Lawyer, the chairperson of equine administration at the University of Louisville's business school, said some will try to wear the biggest hat possible, but lots of guests prefer something more functional. —Ayana Archie, NPR, 2 May 2025

Chris Waugh, Local 222’s chairperson and a 23-year worker at the plant, said Oshawa autoworkers were keeping the focus on their daily work in the face of possible job losses. —Cybele Mayes-Osterman, USA Today, 1 May 2025

After Angola's president and chairperson of the African Union, Joao Lourenco, withdrew as the key mediator on Monday, southern and eastern African leaders announced at a joint summit that a panel of five former African presidents will help seek a peaceful resolution of the conflict. —arkansasonline.com, 26 Mar. 2025

Read the Save Our Society from Drugs proposal The organization board chairperson didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment. —Lawrence Mower, Miami Herald, 12 Apr. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1899, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for chairperson

• layperson
• salesperson
• businessperson
• person
• worsen

Kids Definition

chairperson

noun

chair·​per·​son -ˌpər-sən 

: chair sense 2c