chair

noun · verb

Simple meaning

A seat for one person, with a support for the back.

Pronunciation

Say it like this:

chehr

US device voice

IPA pronunciation (US)

ˈtʃɛɹ

This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.

IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.

Word Review

Definition

Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.

noun

A seat for one person, with a support for the back
“He put his coat over the back of the chair and sat down.”
The seat or office of a person in authority, such as a judge or bishop.
The position of professor
“He was awarded an endowed chair in economics.”
A vehicle for one person; either a sedan borne upon poles, or a two-wheeled carriage drawn by one horse; a gig.
An assigned position in a beauty salon or barbershop.
often with definite articlealso written chair
A chairman or chairwoman, someone who presides over a meeting, board, etc.

verb

transitive
To carry in a seated position upon one's shoulders, especially in celebration or victory.

Word at a Glance

Difficulty: A1 · Beginner (estimated)
Frequency: Very Common
Typical Use: General English

Word Aura™

How this word commonly comes across.

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How It’s Used

The word’s distinct uses, one example each.

Seatnoun
“He put his coat over the back of the chair and sat down.”
Positionnoun
“He was awarded an endowed chair in economics.”

More ways to use chair

“He put his coat over the back of the chair and sat down.”noun

Common Patterns and Combinations

How this word naturally appears with others.

easy chairempty chairhigh chairswivel chairleather chaircomfortable chair

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Word Family

Related forms, grouped by how they connect.

Compound terms

Established multiword terms.

chair of statenounCompound term
A ceremonial chair for an exalted or powerful person.
chair carnounCompound term
A passenger car for day travel.
chair liftnounCompound term
A ski lift on which riders (skiers or sightseers) are seated and carried up or down a mountainside.
death chairnounCompound term
An instrument of execution by electrocution.
deck chairnounCompound term
A folding chair for use outdoors.
eames chairnounCompound term
A chair designed by Charles Eames.

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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.