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
So pull up a chair and take a read of some of our best stories of the week, plus a look at what’s coming next week. Peter Green, Quartz, 10 Nov. 2024 Zoning Adjustment Board Member Shoshana O’Keefe is currently leading in that race with 76% of the vote against Todd Andrew, chair of the Solano Avenue Business Improvement District Advisory Board. Sierra Lopez, The Mercury News, 8 Nov. 2024
Verb
Staffers close to his team are meeting with Missouri House Republican Jason Smith, who chairs the chamber’s Ways and Means Committee, about a tax package partially paid for by tariffs, Politico reports. William Gavin, Quartz, 8 Nov. 2024 Bloomberg News reported yesterday that the China-US Financial Working Group had its sixth meeting chaired by PBOC Deputy Governor Xuan Changneng and Secretary for International Finance Brent Neiman, which included Janet Yellen and representatives from the SEC and CSRC. Brendan Ahern, Forbes, 1 Nov. 2024 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

Dictionary Entries Near chair

Cite this Entry

“Chair.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/chair. Accessed 22 Nov. 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

More from Merriam-Webster on chair

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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