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Chorus

//ˈkɔːɹəs// name, noun, verb

Definitions

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
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."

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

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 3

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

See also for "chorus"

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