chamber

1 of 3

noun

cham·​ber ˈchām-bər How to pronounce chamber (audio)
1
: room
especially : bedroom
2
: a natural or artificial enclosed space or cavity
3
a
: a hall for the meetings of a deliberative, legislative, or judicial body
the senate chamber
b
: a room where a judge transacts business
usually used in plural
c
: the reception room of a person of rank or authority
4
a
: a legislative or judicial body
especially : either of the houses of a bicameral legislature
b
: a voluntary board or council
5
a
: the part of the bore of a gun that holds the charge
b
: a compartment in the cartridge cylinder of a revolver
chambered adjective

chamber

2 of 3

verb

chambered; chambering ˈchām-b(ə-)riŋ How to pronounce chamber (audio)

transitive verb

1
: to place in or as if in a chamber : house
2
: to serve as a chamber for
especially : to accommodate in the chamber of a firearm

chamber

3 of 3

adjective

: being, relating to, or performing chamber music

Examples of chamber in a Sentence

Noun If the batteries are not properly installed in the chamber of the remote control, it won't work. There are four chambers in the human heart. We waited for the senator outside the Senate chamber. The U.S. legislature is separated into two chambers: the Senate and the House of Representatives. Verb chambered the lost hikers in the barn until the next morning
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
On Monday, state leaders including Xi and Li attended the opening session of a parallel advisory body, the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, in the cavernous, red-carpeted chamber of the Great Hall of the People on one side of Beijing's Tiananmen Square. Ken Moritsugu and Elaine Kurtenbach, Quartz, 4 Mar. 2024 Of the 16 House districts won by Mr. Biden but currently in Republican hands, five are in California, making the state a linchpin of the party’s hopes of retaking the chamber, where Republicans currently hold a three-seat majority. Jonathan Weisman, New York Times, 3 Mar. 2024 The two chambers will have to negotiate a compromise. Brittany Carloni, The Indianapolis Star, 1 Mar. 2024 Creech was brought into the execution chamber and strapped down, according to Josh Tewalt, director of the Idaho Department of Correction. Niha Masih, Washington Post, 29 Feb. 2024 The absences of nearly one-third of the House members means that the chamber will not be able to hold floor sessions, where the entire House debates and votes on bills. The Arizona Republic, 29 Feb. 2024 Hurtado was first elected to the Legislature’s upper chamber that year, defeating Republican incumbent Andy Vidak at age 30 to become the youngest woman elected to the state Senate. Melissa Gomez, Los Angeles Times, 29 Feb. 2024 Business chambers estimate that Mexico is now recording over 50 cargo truck hijackings per day. Nathaniel Parish Flannery, Forbes, 28 Feb. 2024 Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell walks into the Senate chamber on Feb. 28, 2024. Kaia Hubbard, CBS News, 28 Feb. 2024
Verb
Jose Gutierrez Ojeda initially brandished a pistol and appeared to rack the firearm to chamber a round. John Molseed, Twin Cities, 5 Feb. 2024 Jurors also saw a video that the shooter took of himself in the family home, loading a magazine into a gun, then chambering a round. Gina Kaufman, Detroit Free Press, 26 Jan. 2024 The standard model has a black synthetic stock and detachable magazine, and is chambered for seven popular cartridges. Michael Dickerson, Outdoor Life, 10 Apr. 2023 Gun companies are making single-shots, semi-autos, and bolt-actions chambered for it. T. Logan Metesh, Field & Stream, 4 Jan. 2024 Ashley is left-handed, so this year John bought her a left-hand Tikka rifle chambered in 243 Winchester. Bryan Hendricks, arkansasonline.com, 10 Dec. 2023 The rifle is chambered for seven popular cartridges. Mike Dickerson, Field & Stream, 19 July 2023 Depending on the chambering, the rifle weighs 6.2 to 6.4 pounds. Mike Dickerson, Field & Stream, 19 July 2023 It was chambered in the new M14 U.S. Service Rifle in 1957 and saw duty in Korea and Vietnam, with soldiers undoubtedly appreciating its lighter recoil. Ron Spomer, Outdoor Life, 5 July 2023
Adjective
And what sort of legislative horse trading will have to happen to make the always-complex inter-chamber politics between the House and Senate work? Brian Amaral, BostonGlobe.com, 6 Apr. 2023 Brennan immediately dictated a note, and a terse exchange of letters on the afternoon of March 27, 1978, sent to the entire conference—all justices receiving a copy—may mark a low point in the history of intra-chamber correspondence at the Supreme Court. J.c. Hallman, The New Republic, 11 June 2020 With less than a week and a half left in the legislative session, bills to crack down on police officers with histories of misconduct have been caught in the crosshairs of inter-chamber tensions and are in danger of not passing. James Barragán, San Antonio Express-News, 21 May 2021 One of those plugs incorporates a passive pre-chamber ignition system. Mike Duff, Car and Driver, 9 Sep. 2020 If there is any doubt of this technology's value, know that Formula 1 engines use pre-chamber ignition. Mike Duff, Car and Driver, 9 Sep. 2020 Maserati has employed a dual-spark-plug configuration with an innovative pre-chamber combustion system integrated into the cylinder heads. David Beard, Car and Driver, 2 July 2020

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'chamber.' 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 chambre, from Anglo-French, from Late Latin camera, from Latin, arched roof, from Greek kamara vault

First Known Use

Noun

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1568, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adjective

1706, in the meaning defined above

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

Dictionary Entries Near chamber

Cite this Entry

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

Kids Definition

chamber

1 of 2 noun
cham·​ber ˈchām-bər How to pronounce chamber (audio)
1
: a room in a house and especially a bedroom
2
: an enclosed space or compartment
the chamber of a pistol
the chambers of the heart
3
a
: a meeting hall of a government body (as an assembly)
b
: a room where a judge conducts business out of court
usually used in plural
4
a
: a group of people organized into a lawmaking body
the lower chamber of the legislature
b
: a board or council of volunteers (as businesspeople)
chambered adjective

chamber

2 of 2 verb
chambered; chambering -b(ə-)riŋ How to pronounce chamber (audio)
: to place or hold in or as if in a chamber
Etymology

Noun

Middle English chambre "chamber," from early French chambre (same meaning), from Latin camera "room, chamber" — related to camera

Medical Definition

chamber

noun
cham·​ber ˈchām-bər How to pronounce chamber (audio)
: an enclosed space within the body of an animal see anterior chamber, posterior chamber, pulp chamber, vitreous chamber

Legal Definition

chamber

noun
cham·​ber
1
: a judge's office
specifically : the private office where a judge carries on business other than court sessions (as conferences or signing papers)
usually used in pl.
four other judges met in my chambers R. H. Bork
a hearing in chambers
2
a
: a hall for the meetings of a deliberative, legislative, or judicial body or assembly
to run back into the House chamberTip O'Neill
b
: a legislative or judicial body : house

More from Merriam-Webster on chamber

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