chairman

American  

[chair-muhn] / ˈtʃɛər mən /

noun

plural

chairmen

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.

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verb (used with object)

chairmaned, chairmanned, chairmaning, chairmanning

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

chairman British  

/ ˈtʃɛəmən /

noun

1. Also called: chairperson.   chairwoman.  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

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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

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

Other Word Forms

• chairmanship noun

Etymology

Origin of chairman

First recorded in 1645–55; chair + -man

Explanation

A chairman is the leader of a business meeting or group. The chairman often opens a meeting by addressing the group and explaining what the agenda will be. Charities, clubs, and the boards of companies have a chairman who acts as president or leader. The noun chairman can refer to this person, whether male or female, though sometimes a woman is called a chairwoman. These days, it's more common still to simply call her (or him) a chair. The word chairman comes from a sense of "occupying a chair of authority," while "presiding member of a corporate body" first emerged in the 18th century.

Example Sentences

After the meeting, Ned was still Fidelity’s chairman and in control, and Abby resumed her role as president of FESCO.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 17, 2026

The company also said that co-founder and chairman of the board Reed Hastings would be stepping down—although history suggests the departure of an influential figure shouldn’t cause a tech stock to tank.

From Barron's • Apr. 17, 2026

The co-founder of Netflix, Reed Hastings, is leaving the company, stepping down as chairman of the streaming platform that he set up nearly thirty years ago.

From BBC • Apr. 16, 2026

Netflix’s co-founder Reed Hastings is leaving his co-CEO role and will stay on as executive chairman.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 16, 2026

As chairman of the Berkeley Physics Department, Raymond Birge was deeply sensitive to the threat Harvard’s offer posed to the University of California.

From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik

Related Words

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