chairperson

noun

chair·​per·​son ˈcher-ˌpər-sᵊn 

plural chairpersons

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

• 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

An act of legislation created it, the Fed chairperson and other members of the board have to show up for congressional hearings, which turn into partisan grillings. —Vipin Bharathan, Forbes.com, 3 Sep. 2025

Cash aid from table banking Justine Obura, the chairperson of the No Sex For Fish Group, says the group members are trying to support each other. —Viola Kosome, NPR, 28 Aug. 2025

As one of the early African-American homeowners in Park Forest, Martin became active with the Commission on Human Relations and eventually became its chairperson. —Jerry Shnay, Chicago Tribune, 25 Aug. 2025

Party chairperson Evan Power didn’t respond to requests for comment on Saturday. —Lawrence Mower, Miami Herald, 17 Aug. 2025

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