chairperson

noun

chair·​per·​son ˈcher-ˌpər-sᵊn 

plural chairpersons or chairpeople

1

: the presiding officer of a meeting, organization, committee, or event

2

: the administrative officer of a department of instruction (as in a college)

Synonyms of chairperson

• chairman
• president
• moderator
• presider

Examples of chairperson in a Sentence

A new chairperson for the committee has not yet been appointed.

the chairperson will determine the order in which people will speak

Recent Examples on the Web

Orange County elects a countywide chairperson for its School Board, with current board members Angie Gallo and Alicia Farrant facing off to succeed Teresa Jacobs, who is retiring at the end of her term. —Martin E. Comas, The Orlando Sentinel, 12 June 2026

Meanwhile, the chairperson of Lower Manhattan’s Community Board 1 says the ferry team has yet to make their plan public. —Lincoln Anderson, New York Daily News, 12 June 2026

David Rubenstein, the Kennedy Center’s longtime chairperson, and President Deborah Rutter were ousted, and meetings became rushed and exclusionary. —Janay Kingsberry, The Atlantic, 6 June 2026

Pam Ander, chairperson of the church, described its wartime use. —Hannah Kliger, CBS News, 28 May 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1899, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for chairperson

• layperson
• salesperson
• businessperson
• person
• worsen

Kids Definition

chairperson

noun

chair·​per·​son -ˌpər-sən 

: chair sense 2c