chairman

[ chair-muhn ]

noun

, plural chair·men.

1. the presiding officer of a meeting, committee, board, etc.
2. the administrative head of a department in a high school, college, or university.
3. someone employed to carry or wheel a person in a chair.

verb (used with object)

, chair·maned or chair·manned, chair·man·ing or chair·man·ning.

1. to act as or be chairman of (a meeting, committee, etc.).

chairman

/ ˈtʃɛəmən /

noun

1. Also calledchairpersonfemchairwoman a person who presides over a company's board of directors, a committee, a debate, an administrative department, etc
2. history someone who carries a sedan chair

Usage

Chairman can seem inappropriate when applied to a woman, while chairwoman can be offensive. Chair and chairperson can be applied to either a man or a woman; chair is generally preferred to chairperson

Gender Note

Is it chairman, chairwoman, or chairperson? See chairperson.

Derived Forms

• ˈchairmanˌship, noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of chairman¹

First recorded in 1645–55; chair + -man

Example Sentences

Army officer and chairman of VoteVets, a nonprofit group that supports veterans and progressive causes, said in a statement.

From Los Angeles Times

Elements of that assessment were echoed by the former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, now-retired Gen. Mark Milley, who told Watergate journalist and author Bob Woodward that he considered Trump “fascist to the core.”

From Los Angeles Times

Sir David Behan, the OfS chairman, says a university going bust “isn’t imminent now”, but to reduce the risk higher education needs to be “radically reimagined”.

From BBC

Speaking exclusively to the BBC, Sir David Behan, the regulator’s chairman, called for radical change, saying course closures and university mergers might be needed for financial stability.

From BBC

Rumors of Penske’s interest in purchasing the Long Beach race have been swirling for months, with the long list of other interested buyers said to include the France family, founders of NASCAR; Mark Walter, chairman of the Dodgers’ ownership group; and Liberty Media, which has a stake in Formula 1 racing.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• administrator
• chairperson
• chairwoman
• director
• leader
• spokesman