Meaning & use
chair
Last updated
Meanings
nouncountable
A piece of furniture for one person to sit on, usually with a back and four legs.
Grammar: Countable: one chair, two chairs. Often used with 'sit on' or 'in'.
Patterns
- sit on a chair
- in a chair
- a comfortable chair
She pulled up a chair and sat down.
The old wooden chair creaked when he sat on it.
We need more chairs for the guests.
nounsingular
The person who leads a meeting, committee, or organization.
Grammar: Usually singular and used with 'the': 'the chair of the committee'. Can be a man or a woman.
Patterns
- the chair of something
- be in the chair
She was elected chair of the board.
The chair opened the meeting at 10 a.m.
As chair, he had the final say.
verbtransitive
To lead a meeting or official group.
Grammar: Takes an object: chair a meeting. Not usually used in the passive.
Patterns
- chair a meeting
- chair a committee
He will chair the meeting tomorrow.
She chaired the committee for three years.
Who is chairing the session?
Word forms
| plural | chairs |
|---|---|
| third person singular | chairs |
| past tense | chaired |
| past participle | chaired |
| -ing form | chairing |
Common combinations
- armchair
- He fell asleep in his armchair.
- chair a meeting
- She will chair the meeting next week.
- the chair of the committee
- He was elected chair of the committee.
- sit on a chair
- Please sit on a chair, not on the table.
Synonyms and how they differ
Word family
- chairman noun
- A man who leads a meeting or organization; now often replaced by 'chair' or 'chairperson'.
- chairwoman noun
- A woman who leads a meeting or organization.
- chairperson noun
- A neutral word for a person who leads a meeting or organization.
Commonly confused: chair or stool?
chair vs stool
A stool has no back, while a chair usually has a back.
Practice
Who is going to ______ the meeting tomorrow?
Choose one answer.
The verb 'chair' means to lead a meeting. 'Sit' and 'seat' are about sitting, not leading. 'Preside' is possible but would need 'over' (preside over the meeting).
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “chair”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.