chairs

chairs — noun

1. more than one piece of furniture made for one person to sit on, typically with a

1.名詞A1
釋義

more than one piece of furniture made for one person to sit on, typically with a back, four supporting legs, and in many designs two side rests for the elbows.

例句

Iris arranged six wooden chairs around the long dining table.

plural count noun in object position

All the chairs in the waiting room were taken by tired travellers.

plural subject + collective scene

同義詞
  • seats

    broader — includes benches, sofas, and stools, not only single-person chairs

  • armchairs

    specifically chairs with side supports for the arms

文法句型

plural of chair

用法筆記

Plural of the count noun 'chair'. Use with plural verb forms and plural determiners ('these', 'those', 'some', 'many'), not with mass-noun quantifiers ('much').

常見錯誤

❌There are much chairs in the hall.
✅There are many chairs in the hall.
💡'chairs' is a count noun, so use 'many', not 'much'.
❌I bought a new chairs.
✅I bought new chairs.' or 'I bought a new chair.
💡don't mix the singular article 'a' with the plural form.

2. in informal speech, short ways of referring to electric chairs — the seats used

2.名詞C1
釋義

in informal speech, short ways of referring to electric chairs — the seats used in some US states to put a prisoner to death by sending strong electric current through the body.

例句

Two old electric chairs, sometimes simply called chairs by guards, are stored in the prison museum.

noun used informally for 'electric chair'

The state finally retired its two electric chairs after switching to lethal injection in 2002.

plural of the execution device

同義詞

文法句型

the chair (singular usually used)

用法筆記

The singular 'the chair' is much more common than the plural in this sense. Plural appears mainly when comparing or counting devices, e.g. in museum or historical contexts.

常見錯誤

❌He was sent to chairs.
✅He was sent to the chair.
💡for the execution method, English uses the singular 'the chair', not the bare plural.

3. the people whose job is to lead meetings of a committee, board, or other formal

3.名詞B2
釋義

the people whose job is to lead meetings of a committee, board, or other formal group, or the official positions they hold — for example, several committee chairs sitting on a council.

例句

The new bank rules were drafted by the chairs of three different finance committees.

chairs of [committee]

Mateo invited the chairs of every department to a joint planning meeting.

plural human reference + 'of every [unit]'

同義詞
反義詞
  • members

    ordinary people on the committee who are led by the chairs

文法句型

chairs of [organization/committee]

用法筆記

Refers to the people themselves, not to physical seats. Often used in the pattern 'chairs of [body]'; can also describe the official roles they hold (compare 'they hold the chairs of three committees').

常見錯誤

❌The chairs of the meeting started at 9 a.m.
✅The meeting started at 9 a.m.' or 'The chair of the meeting opened it at 9 a.m.
💡chairs in this sense are people, not events; don't make 'chairs' the subject of 'start'.

4. the senior professors who run university or college departments, or the named po

4.名詞C1
釋義

the senior professors who run university or college departments, or the named positions of authority they hold — for instance, the heads of the history, biology, and law departments.

例句

The chairs of three science departments met on Friday to discuss next year's budget.

chairs of [academic departments]

Élise applied for one of the two new chairs created by the medical school last year.

chairs = funded academic positions

同義詞

文法句型

chairs of [department]

用法筆記

Used in two slightly different ways: (a) the people who lead departments (compare sense 3 but inside a university), (b) the named, often endowed, academic posts themselves (e.g. 'two new chairs in physics'). Context tells the reader which.

常見錯誤

❌She teaches in the chairs of biology.
✅She teaches in the biology department.
💡chairs are people or named posts, not the place where teaching happens.

5. in an orchestra or band, the ranked positions of individual musicians within the

5.名詞C1
釋義

in an orchestra or band, the ranked positions of individual musicians within their instrument section — also used for the players who hold those positions — with first being the most senior, second next, and so on.

例句

Tanvi worked all year to move up from third to second chair among the violins.

ranking system: third/second chair

The principal chairs of all the wind sections lead their groups during rehearsal.

principal chairs = section leaders

同義詞
  • seats

    common informal alternative inside music groups

  • positions

    more general — covers any role, not only ranked ones

文法句型

first/second/principal chairs

用法筆記

Common phrases include 'first chair', 'second chair', 'principal chair'. Plural 'chairs' shows up when referring to several positions or players together (e.g. 'the first chairs of the strings').

常見錯誤

❌She plays in the chairs of the orchestra.
✅She holds first chair in the orchestra.
💡'chairs' here means specific ranked positions, not a place inside the orchestra.

chairs — verb