musical chairs

noun

plural in form but singular in construction

: a game in which players march to music around a row of chairs numbering one less than the players and scramble for seats when the music stops

also : a situation or series of events suggesting the game of musical chairs (as in rapid change or confusing activity)

Examples of musical chairs in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Amidst the ongoing musical chairs across luxury houses, Scott’s appointment plays into a new generation of creative directors. —Emily Mercer, Footwear News, 2 Sep. 2025

And a land value tax discourages the sort of speculative investments that have helped turn the American dream of home ownership into an inflation-evading game of musical chairs. —Tiana Lowe Doescher, The Washington Examiner, 22 Aug. 2025

IndieWire shares an exclusive excerpt from Donohue’s book below, chronicling the musical chairs behind the film‘s directors, both original and eventual. —Kate Erbland, IndieWire, 21 Aug. 2025

Transformation becomes a game of musical chairs rather than a symphony. —Thomas Lim, Forbes.com, 15 Aug. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1877, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for musical chairs

• concessionaires
• affaires
• affairs
• armchairs
• bulgars
• compares
• crosshairs
• declares
• despairs
• downstairs
• forbears
• forebears