chairman

views updated Jun 27 2018

chair·man / ˈche(ə)rmən/ • n. (pl. -men) 1. a person, esp. a man, designated to preside over a meeting. ∎  the permanent or long-term president of a committee, company, or other organization. ∎  (Chairman) (since 1949) the leading figure in the Chinese Communist Party.2. a person, esp. a man, who is the administrative head of a department of instruction at a college or university.3. hist. a sedan-bearer.DERIVATIVES: chair·man·ship / ship/ n.