# chair

/ˈtʃɛɹ/ (US) · /tʃˈeə/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/chair
Updated: 2026-06-19

## Senses

### 1. furniture

noun · CEFR A1

a piece of furniture for one person to sit on, usually with a back and four legs.

For teachers: a piece of furniture designed for one person to sit on, typically comprising a seat, a backrest, and four legs.

- Please pull up a chair and join us for dinner.
- The designer opted for ergonomic chairs to ensure that employees remained comfortable during long shifts at their desks.

### 2. person in charge

noun · CEFR B2

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

For teachers: 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.

Usage: Often used with the definite article 'the' to refer to the role or the person currently holding it.

### 3. university position

noun · CEFR C1 · Academic · Formal

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

For teachers: a distinguished professorship at a university, often endowed or specifically named.

- 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.

### 4. orchestra position

noun · CEFR B2

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

For teachers: 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.

### 5. the electric chair

noun · CEFR C2 · Informal · American English

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

For teachers: 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.

### 6. to lead a meeting

verb · CEFR B2 · Formal

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

For teachers: 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.

## Examples

- Please sit down in that comfortable chair.
- The teacher asked the students to pull their chairs into a circle for the group discussion.
- The orchestra's first chair violinist is responsible for leading the section and performing any solo passages required by the score.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.