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
Noun
Bret Taylor, who is chair of OpenAI’s board and recently launched his own generative AI company, said during the press call on Friday that additional governance changes made alongside the expansion of the board to seven members would help better manage the nonprofit. Paresh Dave, WIRED, 8 Mar. 2024 The company, after Altman’s return, fired the directors responsible for his ouster and hired economist Larry Summers, the former Obama and Clinton official, as well as Salesforce co-CEO Bret Taylor as chair. David Goldman, CNN, 8 Mar. 2024 Trump then endorsed North Carolina Republican Party chairman Michael Whatley, the RNC's chief counsel, to be the new chair, and his daughter-in-law, Lara Trump, to be co-chair. Detroit Free Press, 26 Feb. 2024 Lily Gladstone will also serve as the ceremony’s honorary chair. Tatiana Tenreyro, The Hollywood Reporter, 25 Feb. 2024 As school board chair, my opponent voted to mask kids. Charlotte Observer, 13 Feb. 2024 Behind that increase are two related factors, said Timothy Richards, chair of Arizona State University’s School of Agribusiness. Elisabeth Buchwald, CNN, 13 Feb. 2024 In its place, there is a scene of someone forgetting how to sit in a chair. Sabrina Weiss, Peoplemag, 12 Feb. 2024 Soldiers waited on plastic chairs between their vehicles. Michael Tobin, Fox News, 12 Feb. 2024
Verb
Councilmember Vivian Moreno, who chairs the council’s audit committee, said voters spoke out strongly in support of the independent city auditor by approving the charter amendment. Jeff McDonald, San Diego Union-Tribune, 9 Mar. 2024 Separately on Thursday, Martin Gruenberg, who chairs the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp., said that the non-current rate for non-owner occupied CRE loans had risen to the highest since 2014. Paige Smith, Fortune, 7 Mar. 2024 The bill was introduced with some bipartisan support earlier this week by Wisconsin Republican Rep. Mike Gallagher, who chairs a House select committee on China, and the ranking member of that committee, Illinois Democratic Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi. Brian Fung, CNN, 7 Mar. 2024 Carney credited town commissioner Lisa Qualls for helping ensure grants for town road projects through her role chairing the CRTPO board. Joe Marusak, Charlotte Observer, 28 Feb. 2024 Lee’s office and the Congressional Progressive Caucus, comprising more than 100 lawmakers and chaired by Jayapal, also did not reply to a request for comment. Nora Gámez Torres, Miami Herald, 27 Feb. 2024 This year’s tournament will support First Tee, a youth organization chaired by PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan which aims to develop children’s social skills through golf. Jack Bantock, CNN, 26 Feb. 2024 Nyong’o is the first Black and first African to chair the Berlinale jury. Scott Roxborough, The Hollywood Reporter, 24 Feb. 2024 In cases involving serious crimes such as murder, juveniles as young as 12 can be certified for trial as adults, said Lynn Urban, a professor who chairs the Criminal Justice and Criminology Department at the University of Central Missouri. Nick Ingram, arkansasonline.com, 17 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'chair.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

1552, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Time Traveler
The first known use of chair was in the 13th century

Dictionary Entries Near chair

Cite this Entry

“Chair.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/chair. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

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

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