What does "chair" mean?
An item of furniture used to sit on or in, comprising a seat, legs or wheels, back, and sometimes arm rests, for use by one person.
Chair
/t͡ʃɛə/ name, noun, verb, slang
name, noun, verb, slang ·Very common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: An item of furniture used to sit on or in, comprising a seat, legs or wheels, back, and sometimes arm rests, for use by one person.
- Grammar: chair is listed as name, noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: chairperson, professorship, administer, administrate.
- Useful contrasts: wooden settle, abdicate, attendee.
- Usage evidence: Your chair is identical to mine.
How to use "chair"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "chair" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "chair" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "chair" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "chair" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "chair" is acting as name, noun, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "chairperson" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "chair", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 An item of furniture used to sit on or in, comprising a seat, legs or wheels, back, and sometimes arm rests, for use by one person.
"All I need to weather a snowstorm is hot coffee, a warm fire, a good book and a comfortable chair."
- 2 the position of professor wordnet
- 3 Clipping of chairperson. abbreviation, alt-of, clipping, often, with-definite-article
"Under the rules of order adopted by the board, the chair may neither make nor second motions."
- 4 a seat for one person, with a support for the back wordnet
- 5 The post or position of chairperson. usually, with-definite-article
"The meeting began, with Mr Roberts in the chair."
Show 11 more definitions
- 6 a particular seat in an orchestra wordnet
- 7 The seating position of a particular musician in an orchestra.
"My violin teacher used to play first chair with the Boston Pops."
- 8 an instrument of execution by electrocution; resembles an ordinary seat for one person wordnet
- 9 A cast-iron component used on railways to support bullhead rails and secure them to the sleepers.
"The wooden or steel keys used to secure bull-head rails in their chairs are usually driven in the direction of the traffic, so that the effects of rail-creep may be made use of to wedge the keys more firmly, rather than to encourage them to drop out."
- 10 the officer who presides at the meetings of an organization wordnet
- 11 One of two possible conformers of cyclohexane rings (the other being boat), shaped roughly like a chair. physical
- 12 Ellipsis of electric chair (“device used for performing execution”). abbreviation, alt-of, ellipsis, informal
"The court will show no mercy; if he gets convicted, it's the chair for him."
- 13 A distinguished professorship at a university.
"In 1928 [Martin] Heidegger succeeded [Edmund] Husserl to take a chair at Freiburg […]"
- 14 A vehicle for one person; either a sedan borne upon poles, or a two-wheeled carriage drawn by one horse; a gig.
"Enter Mortimer, brought in a Chayre, and Iaylors."
- 15 The seat or office of a person in authority, such as a judge or bishop.
- 16 An assigned position in a beauty salon or barbershop.
"Melinda has the best chair in the salon."
Verb
- 1 To act as chairperson at; to preside over. transitive
"Bob will chair tomorrow's meeting."
- 2 preside over wordnet
- 3 To carry in a seated position upon one's shoulders, especially in celebration or victory. transitive
"The time you won your town the race We chaired you through the marketplace."
- 4 act or preside as chair, as of an academic department in a university wordnet
- 5 To award a chair to (a winning poet) at a Welsh eisteddfod. UK, Wales, transitive
"The poet was chaired at the national Eisteddfod."
Proper Noun
- 1 Chairperson. often, with-definite-article
"Please address all questions through the Chair."
- 2 The ship of characters Chuck Bass and Blair Waldorf of the Gossip Girl series. slang
"His skill renders Becker's portrayal of Prince Grimaldi, a lover and future husband, futile in the wake of Chair (Chuck and Blair)."
Example
"Your chair is identical to mine."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "chair"?
Common synonyms include: chairperson, professorship, administer, administrate, anoint, armchair.
How do you use "chair" in a sentence?
Your chair is identical to mine.
How do you pronounce "chair"?
Pronounced /t͡ʃɛə/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Middle English chayer, chaire, chaiere, chaere, chayre, chayere, from Old French chaiere, chaere, from Latin cathedra (“seat”), from Ancient Greek καθέδρα (kathédra), from κατά (katá, “down”) + ἕδρα (hédra, “seat”). Displaced native stool and settle, which now have more specialised senses. Doublet of cathedra and chaise.
Etymology 2
Blend of Chuck + Blair.