chair

B2 · Upper Intermediate Countable noun

n. the person who is in charge of a meeting, committee, or organization.

n. the presiding officer of a meeting, committee, or board; a gender-neutral alternative to 'chairman' or 'chairwoman'.

“The chair asked everyone to be quiet so the meeting could begin.”

“As the chair of the finance committee, she was responsible for mediating disputes between the different department heads.”

C1 · Advanced Countable noun Education Academic · Formal

n. a very high-level job for a professor at a university.

n. a distinguished professorship at a university, often endowed or specifically named.

Español:eminencia

“He was appointed to the chair of Modern History last year.”

“Securing a prestigious chair at a research university is often the pinnacle of an academic career in the sciences.”

B2 · Upper Intermediate Countable noun Music

n. the specific seat or rank a musician has in an orchestra.

n. the designated seating position or rank of a particular musician within an orchestral section.

“She worked hard for years to win the first-chair violin position.”

“The competition for the principal cello chair was fierce, drawing talented musicians from across the country.”

C2 · Proficiency Countable noun Law Informal · American English

n. a way to describe the electric chair used for killing criminals.

n. a metonymic reference to the electric chair used for judicial execution.

“In the old movie, the prisoner was sentenced to the chair.”

“The legal team fought for years to prevent their client from facing the chair, citing new DNA evidence.”

B2 · Upper Intermediate Formal

v. to be the person in charge of a meeting or a group.

v. to preside over a meeting, committee, or formal discussion. Transitive — takes the meeting or group as a direct object.

“Who is going to chair the discussion this afternoon?”

“The CEO was invited to chair the international summit on climate change due to her extensive experience in the energy sector.”