Chorus

/ˈkɔːɹəs/ name, noun, verb

name, noun, verb ·Very common ·Middle school level

Meaning at a glance

  • Primary sense: A group of singers and dancers in a theatrical performance or religious festival who commented on the main performance in speech or song.
  • Grammar: chorus is listed as name, noun, verb.
  • Nearest alternatives: chorus line, refrain, a cappella, acclamation.
  • Useful contrasts: aria, arias, solist.
  • Usage evidence: The party ended up with a chorus.

How to use "chorus"

  1. Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
  2. Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "chorus" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
  3. 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 "chorus" 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 "chorus" as the right word for your sentence.

If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "chorus" 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 "chorus" is acting as name, noun, verb 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 "chorus line" 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 "chorus", 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. 1
    A group of singers and dancers in a theatrical performance or religious festival who commented on the main performance in speech or song. historical

    "[W]ee would that the voice and dialect of the propheteſſe Pythia, reſembling the ſpeech of a Chorus in a tragedie from a ſcaffold, ſhould pronounce her anſwers not in ſimple, plaine, and triviall termes, without any grace to ſet them out, but with Poeticall magnificence of high and ſtately verſes, diſguiſed as it were with metaphors and figurative phraſes, yea, and that which more is, with ſound of flute and hautboies: […]"

  2. 2
    the part of a song where a soloist is joined by a group of singers wordnet
  3. 3
    A song performed by the singers of such a group. historical

    "And the Apocalyps of Saint Iohn is the majeſtick image of a high and ſtately Tragedy, ſhutting up and intermingling her ſolemn Scenes and Acts with a ſevenfold Chorus of halleluja's and harping ſymphonies: […]"

  4. 4
    any utterance produced simultaneously by a group wordnet
  5. 5
    An actor who reads the prologue and epilogue of a play, and sometimes also acts as a commentator or narrator; also, a portion of a play read by this actor. British, broadly, historical

    "Enter Chorus. / Cut is the branch that might haue growne ful ſtraight, / And burned is Apolloes Laurel bough, / That ſometime grew within this learned man: […]"

Show 17 more definitions
  1. 6
    a group of people assembled to sing together wordnet
  2. 7
    A group of singers performing together; a choir; specifically, such a group singing together in a musical, an opera, etc., as distinct from the soloists; an ensemble.

    "The performance of the chorus was awe-inspiring and exhilarating."

  3. 8
    a company of actors who comment (by speaking or singing in unison) on the action in a classical Greek play wordnet
  4. 9
    A group of people in a performance who recite together. broadly
  5. 10
    a body of dancers or singers who perform together wordnet
  6. 11
    An instance of singing by a group of people.

    "But once out of sight of those fearful precincts, the psalm was forgotten, and again broke, loud, clear, and silvery, the joyous chorus."

  7. 12
    A group of people, animals, or inanimate objects who make sounds together. figuratively

    "a chorus of crickets    a chorus of whiners"

  8. 13
    The noise or sound made by such a group. figuratively

    "a chorus of shouts and catcalls"

  9. 14
    A group of people who express a unanimous opinion. figuratively

    "So far, more than a dozen EU countries have either enacted a windfall tax or said they’re planning to. […] On Monday, US President Joe Biden joined the chorus, accusing oil companies of “war profiteering” and threatening them with big new levies if they fail to bring down consumer prices."

  10. 15
    The opinion expressed by such a group. figuratively

    "On Friday, 75 scholars and clinicians signed an open letter, joining a chorus of disagreement with Berenson by arguing that “establishing marijuana as a causal link to violence at the individual level is both theoretically and empirically problematic”."

  11. 16
    A piece of music, especially one in a larger work such as an opera, written to be sung by a choir in parts (for example, by sopranos, altos, tenors, and basses).
  12. 17
    A part of a song which is repeated between verses to emphasize the song's content; a refrain.

    "The catchiest part of most songs is the chorus."

  13. 18
    The main part of a pop song played after the introduction.
  14. 19
    A group of organ pipes or organ stops intended to be played simultaneously; a compound stop; also, the sound made by such pipes or stops.
  15. 20
    A feature or setting in electronic music that makes one instrument sound like many. attributive, often
  16. 21
    A simple, often repetitive, song intended to be sung in a group during informal worship.
  17. 22
    The improvised solo section in a small group performance.

    "Of additional interest is the riff in the second chorus, which was later copied by Joe Garland and recorded by the Glenn Miller Orchestra as "In the Mood," becoming the biggest hit of the Swing Era."

Verb
  1. 1
    To sing (a song), express (a sentiment), or recite or say (words) in chorus. transitive

    "In the middle of the little woody bay, or rather basin, which received the scanty waters of the stream, an armed sloop lay at anchor, and he heard the din of license and carousal on board,—the hasty oath—the hearty laugh—and the boisterous song, chorussed by a score of rough voices, which made the bay re-echo."

  2. 2
    utter in unison wordnet
  3. 3
    To express concurrence with (something said by another person); to echo. transitive

    ""Yes," said the king; "Come, Hop-Frog, lend us your assistance. Characters, my fine fellow; we stand in need of characters—all of us—ha! ha! ha!" and as this was seriously meant for a joke, his laugh was chorused by the seven."

  4. 4
    sing in a choir wordnet
  5. 5
    To provide (a song) with a chorus or refrain. rare, transitive

    "Let ev'ry Song be Choruſt with his Name. / And Muſick pay her Tribute to his Fame."

Show 4 more definitions
  1. 6
    To sing the chorus or refrain of a song. intransitive

    "1785, James Boswell, The Journal of a Tour to the Hebrides with Samuel Johnson, LL.D, Wednesday, 8th September, 1773, http://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/6018/pg6018-images.html Malcolm sung an Erse song, the chorus of which was 'Hatyin foam foam eri', with words of his own. […] the boatmen and Mr M’Queen chorused, and all went well."

  2. 7
    To sing, express, or say in, or as if in, unison. intransitive

    "Then they all chorus'd upon me—Such a character as Miſs Harlowe's! cry'd one—A lady of ſo much generoſity and good ſenſe! another— […]"

  3. 8
    To echo in unison another person's words. intransitive

    "Then she shouted: "Viva our Lady of Grace," and the crowd chorused."

  4. 9
    Of animals: to make cries or sounds together. intransitive

    "Then the cocks began to crow in the town beneath the hill, and the birds chorused in the fields, and a pale yellow poppy colored the east."

Proper Noun
  1. 1
    A group of singers and dancers in a theatrical performance or religious festival who commented on the main performance in speech or song. historical, uncountable

    "Enter Chorus. / Cut is the branch that might haue growne ful ſtraight, / And burned is Apolloes Laurel bough, / That ſometime grew within this learned man: […]"

  2. 2
    A song performed by the singers of such a group. historical, uncountable

Synonyms

All synonyms
chorus linerefraina cappellaacclamationaccordaccordance

Example

"The party ended up with a chorus."

Common questions

What does "chorus" mean?

A group of singers and dancers in a theatrical performance or religious festival who commented on the main performance in speech or song.

What is a synonym for "chorus"?

Common synonyms include: chorus line, refrain, a cappella, acclamation, accord, accordance.

How do you use "chorus" in a sentence?

The party ended up with a chorus.

How do you pronounce "chorus"?

Pronounced /ˈkɔːɹəs/.

Etymology

Etymology 1

The noun is borrowed from Medieval Latin chorus (“church choir”), Latin chorus (“group of dancers and singers; dance”), from Ancient Greek χορός (khorós, “group of dancers and singers, choir, chorus; dance accompanied by song; round dance”); The verb is derived from the noun. Doublet of choir, chore, and hora.

Etymology 2

From Medieval Latin chorus, Latin chorus, from Ancient Greek χορός (khorós).

More for "chorus"

Synonyms

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