choir

1 of 2

noun

1
: an organized company of singers (as in a church service)
greeted by a large male choir wearing red bowties and singing carolsNew Yorker
2
: a group of instruments of the same class
a brass choir
3
: an organized group of persons or things
… travels with a suite of assistants and a choir of publicists.L. R. Lapham
4
: a division of angels
5
: the part of a church occupied by the singers or by the clergy
also : the part of a church where the services are performed
6
: a group organized for ensemble speaking

choir

2 of 2

verb

choired; choiring; choirs

intransitive verb

: to sing or sound in chorus or concert
The woodwinds choired eloquently.

Examples of choir in a Sentence

Noun joined the choir for next year
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
The Emmy Award winner got his musical start as a young boy, acting in plays, singing in the choir and playing the piano at Golgotha Trinity Baptist Church. Audrey Schmidt, Peoplemag, 23 Sep. 2024 In addition to identifying the two sets of remains, researchers have found more than 1,000 fragments of the cathedral’s rood screen, an architectural element that separated the choir from the nave. Meilan Solly, Smithsonian Magazine, 18 Sep. 2024
Verb
Without cars, poor people can’t take children to sports practice, to choir, or to church. Diana Furchtgott-Roth, Forbes, 29 Feb. 2024 But opera, traditionally, also implies a large-scale work for orchestra and often choir, and Giddens had never written for so many instruments. Tim Greiving, Los Angeles Times, 21 Oct. 2022 See all Example Sentences for choir 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'choir.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun and Verb

Middle English quer, from Anglo-French queor, from Medieval Latin chorus, from Latin, chorus — more at chorus

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1596, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of choir was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near choir

Cite this Entry

“Choir.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/choir. Accessed 3 Oct. 2024.

Kids Definition

choir

noun
ˈkwī(-ə)r
1
: an organized group of singers especially in a church
2
: the part of a church where the choir sits

More from Merriam-Webster on choir

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