English Reference
Noun

chairperson

n. countable
B2 Upper Intermediate US /ˈtʃɛɹˌpɝsən/ UK /tʃˈeəpəsən/ chair·per·son UK spelling chairperson's, chairperson's

n.the person in charge of a meeting or a large organization. They lead the discussion and make sure everyone follows the rules.

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


SIMPLE

The chairperson opens the meeting at nine o'clock.

CONTEXTUAL

After hearing all arguments, the chairperson called for a formal vote to decide on the new office policy.

COMPLEX

The success of the summit depended largely on the chairperson's ability to remain impartial while navigating the conflicting interests of the various international delegates.

Usage

Often shortened to 'the chair' in formal meeting contexts.

The suspect knocked volunteers to the ground before he was arrested and was “discovered to have weapons”, Mahoning county Democratic party chairperson Chris Anderson said in a statement .

The Guardian· 6 Sept 2026

From chair + person, after chairman and chairwoman.

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

This entry
Level B2 · Upper Intermediate
Frequency Occasional
Updated