chairman

[chair-muh n] /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.
verb (used with object), chairmaned or chairmanned, chairmaning or chairmanning.
4.
to act as or be chairman of (a meeting, committee, etc.).
Origin
1645-55; chair + -man
Can be confused
chair, chairman, chairperson, chairwoman (see usage note at chairperson)
Usage note
Examples from the web for chairman
  • He calls its president its chairman or managing director.
  • Skill at fighting for your department is part of the chairman's job but it is not the purpose of academic leadership.
  • The chairman knew perfectly well that he was going to be harming the environment and decided to go ahead anyway.
  • Delegates postponed a decision about the exact terms of office of the group's chairman and head of the secretariat.
  • The commentator also claims that the chairman said he would try out some techniques in the book, and sent the book to a library.
  • Under the current chairman, that one tool may suffice.
  • Having failed as the firm's chairman, his only contribution to better governance is to resign along with its other top executives.
  • He would stay a year as executive chairman, said an advisor, and then do something else.
  • Legend had it that he knew every state party chairman in the country.
  • He is the chairman and interim party leader of the opposition united national congress.
British Dictionary definitions for chairman

chairman

/ˈtʃɛəmən/
noun (pl) -men
1.
Also called chairperson, (fem) 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
Derived Forms
chairmanship, noun
Usage note
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
Word Origin and History for chairman
n.

1650s, "occupier of a chair of authority," from chair (n.) + man (n.). Meaning "member of a corporate body chosen to preside at meetings" is from c.1730. Chairwoman in this sense first attested 1752; chairperson 1971.