choir

1 of 2

noun

ˈkwī(-ə)r 

1

: an organized company of singers (as in a church service)

greeted by a large male choir wearing red bowties and singing carols

—New 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.

Synonyms

Noun

• chorus

Examples of choir in a Sentence

Noun

joined the choir for next year

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Some of the most ear-tickling passages just consist of a bass, a drum loop (or maybe real drums, hard to say) and then Swift’s very naked solo voice suddenly triple- or quadruple-tracked into a playful choir, without any big army of synths to bolster it. —Chris Willman, Variety, 3 Oct. 2025

Written by Alissa Neubauer (Call Me Kat), the untitled sitcom centers on Mary (Chenoweth) who is required to complete community service as the director of a local church choir where she’ll be dragged kicking, screaming and singing toward redemption. —Nellie Andreeva, Deadline, 29 Sep. 2025

Verb

That diversity—seemingly contradictory—gives the orchestra and choir their unique identity: individual tastes converging into a collective national sound. —Billboard Arabia, Billboard, 22 Sep. 2025

Performing at Trump's swearing in ceremony are country star Carrie Underwood and opera singer Christopher Macchio, while singer-songwriter Lee Greenwood, choirs from the University of Nebraska–Lincoln and the United States Marine Band are expected to have musical contributions to the program. —Kaia Hubbard, CBS News, 19 Jan. 2025

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

Phrases Containing choir

• choir loft
• preach to the choir

Rhymes for choir

• acquire
• attire
• bonfire
• campfire
• ceasefire
• conspire
• desire
• enquire
• entire
• greenbrier
• gunfire
• homebuyer

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